Dating a God
by Kaeiley
Summary: [Sequel to Changing a God] Loki comes back to Midgard to stay with Emma and her father for his punishment. Emma shows him the human world and they start dating. I am still terrible at summaries, but I really hope you will read it anyway, after Changing a God of course, since it'll make more sense then.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I'm finally here with the sequel. I am so so sorry for making you wait for over four months TT I have been having a bit of a writer's block and I couldn't really begin to write, I would just sit there staring at a blank page. I have now finished the first two chapters, and I really hope I can continue to write, so I can update you guys regularly. I can't promise you the updates will be done regularly, but I can promise that I will finish the story! Thank you so much for your support with Changing a God, and I hope you will like Dating a God just as much. Thank you to the people who have suggested ideas for this story, please feel free to give me ideas if you have any. Like I said, this story will basically be about the two dating, I have some things planned (that I hope will be exciting hehe), but I can always use more ideas, especially since I haven't written that much yet ^^**

 **I am not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I think right now it's as good as it's going to get, so here you go. Hopefully, when the story evolves a bit more, I'll be more satisfied ^^ I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Chapter one**

 **A Visit from Asgard**

It seems weird that so much has changed in such a short time, but I guess I got the adventure I wanted, when I first came here. That's for sure. And I got to spend time with my father, and also with new friends. That's really nice; now there's more people who know about me _and_ my father and that's always nice, plus I didn't really count on making any friends, so it was a welcomed surprise. I also made friends with someone who I have been fascinated by for many years; like really good friends, maybe even more than that for a second.

If someone had told me that I would have experienced all of that a month ago, I wouldn't have believed them. Hmm, maybe I would have considered the thought; after all I grew up with Tony Stark, Iron Man. After that I think you just have to be more open to new things. But still, friends, maybe more, with Loki. No, I probably wouldn't have believed it, especially since I didn't even think he existed. And I would never have guessed how he really was, or how our relationship would become.

I think it's safe to say that the previous month is something I will always remember and cherish. I just wish it could have been a bit longer, well to be honest a lot longer. I know I'll still see Bruce, Steve, Natasha and Clint sometimes, but Thor I probably won't and Loki I definitely won't.

I'm currently lying on my bed in my room; it was part of the building that wasn't ruined luckily. I know I should probably be assisting my father and Pepper, but to be honest I just need a break. And I think they've got it under control. They make a good team together, after all.

It's not that I'm not doing anything or that I'm sulking. I'm not, absolutely not. I'm going to help and I have already helped a bit. I just needed some time to relax. I'm not going to fall into some depressive state, contrary to what my father fears. But I _do_ miss him, how can I not? And I think I have the right to. I _did_ get close to him, that's just how it is. But that doesn't mean I will swallow in self-pity. I won't, I absolutely refuse to.

I like being alone, I've always liked that. I need space to breathe and relax and think. It has probably got something to do with my father's life style; I've never been very happy with that. Well, the way it used to be; the parties, the media, the women. I wasn't a fan of that. Now there's only the media left and that's the part he didn't choose and the part I know won't disappear. So I accept it; I wouldn't be a very understanding daughter if I didn't. I don't know how he feels about the reporters anymore, I think he has mixed feelings. But I also know that he enjoys his alone time, too. Probably another reason why I like it.

But of course me being alone does not necessarily mean that I'm sad or depressed in any way. Luckily my father knows that, otherwise he wouldn't let me be on my own. I think I just need a little time to figure out how to move on, I guess you can say. I don't know if I should forget or remember. The only thing I do know, is that I won't let it ruin my life. Honestly I don't think I _can_ forget about Loki. Because that would mean forgetting everything that happened in the past month, and I don't want that. What I need is to accept what happened.

To be honest I think I can do it. I've known for some time now that I like Loki, but also that it wouldn't work out, so it really shouldn't be too difficult. My hope now is that he got a fair trial and that he won't suffer. I know he's probably sitting in some prison cell right now and that he'll stay there for quite some time; longer than I'll live for sure. So I guess there's not much to hope for. I just hope they'll let him out some time, so he can be with his family.

* * *

"So what are you going to do now?" I ask the Avengers, minus my father of course. They have come over to eat together for the last time, for some time anyway. My father invited them, I think he's still trying to cheer me up. It's been about two weeks since we sent Loki and Thor back, but of course neither of us has forgotten about it. I think the only thing that has really changed is the Tower, which has been quickly rebuilt, mostly rebuilt anyway.

"Bruce is actually going to stay here to work with me," my father says.

I smile immediately. "Really?" I look excited at Bruce. He nods, grinning slightly. "That's great!"

"Tasha and I are going back to work," Clint shrugs.

"So I won't see you?" I ask with a small pout. I've grown fond of both of them during the little time we've spend together.

"We'll probably drop by sometimes," Natasha says, a small smile hidden in the corner of her mouth.

My father pouts slightly. "Who said you're allowed to?"

I laugh. "I did, that was sort of implied, Dad."

"She's right, Tony, that _was_ what she implied," Steve says. Then he continues, "And I'm going to travel a bit through the States. To catch up, I guess."

"Oh. That's a good idea. Will you visit when you come back then?"

He nods. "I can probably do that yes."

I smile. "I'll look forward to it then."

"And I'll look forward to getting more of your delicious food, Emma," he smiles.

I laugh. "Thank you. I'll make you something real good, when you get back. I promise."

Bruce chuckles. "Are you even capable of making something bad?"

I'm about to answer when my father cuts in, "You're only saying that 'cause you weren't here when she started cooking." He shakes his head at the memory with a teasing smile. I blush.

"Come on, Stark, everyone starts out bad, you have to learn first before you can do it," Natasha says.

I stick my tongue out at my father teasingly.

"Fine, I'm just saying it wasn't that good in the beginning."

I raise an eyebrow. "Still better than yours," I murmur loud enough for the others to hear. They chuckle.

It's nice things are getting a bit back to normal for the evening. Just before they leave again. Not that I'm sad or anything, it's just nice being with family. Yes, they're family, no matter what my father says. I know we technically haven't been together for a very long time, but I still think of them as some sort of family; they're at least very close family friends and I think that might as well be the same. According to me, friends are just the family you choose for yourself, so this is my family and no one is going to tell me otherwise.

* * *

"Darling, can you come with me for a second? The rest of you can come, too," my father says grinning excitedly. I frown confused, what's going on? Why is my father suddenly so happy? I glance around at the others. Though they try to conceal it, it's clear they know what's going on and are happy about it.

Since they all seem so excited about it, I say, "Sure. Where are we going?"

I move so I'm next to my father and we start walking, with him leading the way obviously. The others follow us a few steps behind.

"Just to the balcony," my father says.

"Why?" I can't help but ask. Even though it's clearly a good surprise, I can't help but not like it. If only I wasn't the only one who doesn't know anything.

"It's a surprise, sweetie," he answers, grinning happily at me, "Come on."

We walk out on the huge balcony; this is the part of the building that's still being fixed.

I shrug questioningly at the others. "What now? The view is very nice, Dad, but it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"You'll see in a moment, Emma," Natasha answers instead of my father, who looks positively giddy.

"Fine." I shake my head slightly and cross my arms in front of my chest.

Suddenly there's a light glint and a lot of air, which swirls the dust around. I take a step back surprised, trying to shield my eyes. After the dust has settled on the ground again, I look up.

About two meters from me two men are standing, the taller of them looking as confused as I am. He's got shoulder long black hair and green eyes; not that I can see that from here but I know. His eyes are just as wide as I imagine mine are. My mouth falls open in shock as my mind realizes that he's really here. Here on Earth, not in Asgard.

Loki.

He looks just as I remember him; not that it's been that long, but still. My legs start moving on their own accord and soon I'm falling into his arms. I absently realize he isn't wearing any hand cuffs, when his arms squeeze me tight, like he can't believe he's here either. Here with me.

I faintly hear my father clear his throat behind me, and someone else, I suspect Clint and Bruce, laughing. I pull back a little from Loki, not letting him go completely, but far enough away that I can turn towards them.

"Surprise!" my father grins.

The shock makes me start laughing, not really able to get a full sentence over my lips. "I don't get it… How?.. Why?.."

I glance at Loki again, he still looks confused. I almost start laughing again at the look on his face.

Thor chuckles. "I made a deal with the council in Asgard."

I frown at him and gestures for him to continue talking.

"My brother is sentenced for what they consider prison, until he can prove that he's a changed man. Originally the prison was the cells on Asgard, but I changed their minds. His prison is now Midgard," he gestures around himself with his arms, grinning, "Without his magic."

I look at Loki. He looks stunned. "That's all? I have to stay here without my magic. They're not going to hunt me or torture me?" His voice is disbelieving.

Thor shakes his head. "That's all," he confirms. "You can get your magic back when you can prove that you've become worthy of it."

"How am I going to prove that?"

Thor chuckles again. He gestures to me, "I think Emma can help you with that."

I point at myself with wide eyes, "Me?"

He only nods. "You do have to check in at Asgard every other weekend. Our mother wants to make sure you're doing good."

Loki nods numbly and I find myself doing the same.

"I am not allowed to help you, so I need to go back to Asgard. I trust you, Brother," Thor says with a look at Loki and he disappears in another cloud of air and light.

Suddenly my father claps his hands together. "Now that that's taken care of, we should show Loki his room." He gestures for us to follow him.

Slowly we walk after my father, still in shock. I stop, "Wait. Why is he staying here, Dad?" I ask confused.

My father turns around with a big smile. "I thought you would be happy. And I _do_ hate to see you sad."

I smile at him. "Thank you so much," I say, touched that he would do that for me. I turn towards Loki, and he's smiling, too. I take his hand in mine and feel the calmness wash over me. Now I can fully relax.

* * *

 **So how did you like the first chapter of Dating a God? I would really love to hear your opinions, and please favourite and follow. You have no idea how happy I become for every favourite and follow and review! I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter :D See you then!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Here is the second chapter, I really hope you like it :D I'll try to upload quicker but unfortunately I can't promise anything. Thank you so much favoriting, following and reviewing ^^ This story already has 25 favourites and 37 followers! That's amazing, thank you so much 3**

 **And I forget to say in the first chapter; of course I don't own the characters or the universe, only Emma and my storyline.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter two**

 **Shopping with a God**

It's weird waking up, knowing that Loki is sleeping in a room very close to my own. It seems almost surreal. And the strangest thing is probably that it hasn't even been a whole month, but still he is back. He is here on Earth again, with me. I wonder what exactly my father's plan is; like would he be open for me dating Loki? Or is that too much? I don't really know. Either way, I don't think I'll be asking my father. If Loki wants to, then I say let's do it. Then my father has to deal with it. He should be able to handle that.

I know my father has agreed to this, but still I can't imagine this being anything but awkward. Breakfast with both Bruce, my father _and_ Loki, and possibly Pepper too. That shouldn't be weird _at all_. Oh, who am I kidding? It's going to be very very weird.

Maybe if I pretend it's just an ordinary day, nothing strange will happen and it won't be awkward. I quickly decide to make breakfast for all of us, pretending this cannot go wrong in any way.

* * *

I don't really know if Pepper is coming or not, she might be. After all, she likes to get my father started on his work quickly. And she _loves_ spending time with him. So I'm just making enough for all five of us, my father will probably eat the rest anyways if Pepper doesn't show up.

When the food is about to be done, Bruce comes down to the dining area; his hair is ruffled and he looks tired, but he still smiles at me as he sits down.

"Good morning, Emma," he says, slumping slightly in his chair.

"Good morning." I smile, setting the table. I then take the fresh bread out of the oven and turn to the eggs and bacon. They're almost done. "Do you think I should wake the others?" I ask Bruce, without turning back towards him.

When I get no immediate answer, I turn around. My father and Loki are appearing at the dining area at the same time, my eyes widen slightly. "No need," my father says, before sitting down next to Bruce. "I see you've made breakfast."

It isn't posed as a question, but I still nod. "Good morning," I smile at both of them. Loki is still standing, like he isn't sure what he's supposed to do. I gesture slightly at the chair in front of Bruce's.

He smiles gratefully at me and sits down. "Good morning, Emma."

"Good morning, Loki," I say, an even bigger smile now on my face. I blush slightly, when my father clears his throat.

After placing the food on the table, I sit down next to Loki in front of my father. I gesture to the food, indirectly saying that they can begin the meal. Then I turn to Loki, "I'm not sure what you used to eat for breakfast, but this is kind of what we have here, so… If you want something else, just tell me and I'm sure we can figure something out."

Loki opens his mouth to answer, but before he has the chance to utter anything, my father says, "I'm sure it's fine. This is what we eat here, so he should be able to manage." It is said almost as a warning; if he doesn't accept "my father's rules" he can leave.

Loki's voice is a bit strained when he says, "I'm sure it's delicious, I haven't tried anything you made that wasn't. Besides anything's better than porridge."

I laugh and look at him with my eyebrow raised. "Even the lasagna?"

He chuckles softly. "Even the lasagna."

Bruce laughs too. "You made him lasagna, too?" Loki winces almost unnoticeable when he speaks, like he only noticed him now.

I smile gratefully at him; I'm glad he's trying to make it less awkward. "I made it for all of us, remember? He just got a portion of it earlier that day, and then I made more when you agreed to have dinner together."

He nods as I speak. "I remember."

I look at my father. "What are you doing today? Something I should help with?" I figure I should help, if he wants me to. If not I would rather spend time with Loki of course. I'm sure my father gets that, 'cause he raises an eyebrow as he answers.

"Well, _I_ am going to make sure this tower gets rebuilt properly. _You_ are going to take care of all the practical things concerning Loki."

I frown. "What practical things?" I glance at Loki, but he doesn't seem to know either.

My father rolls his eyes at me. "Well, he can't exactly walk around in that every day, can he? And then there's things like introducing him to this environment and everything in it including electronics."

It's only now that I realize Loki is wearing a kind of toned down version of the leather outfit he wore the last time I saw him, when we sent him back to Asgard. Not exactly normal clothes. I bite my lip, "So you're suggesting I take him shopping?"

I am horribly aware that we're talking over Loki's head right now, but I assume he understands. It's not like we're saying anything particularly bad about him.

My father shrugs. "I guess. Or you could just do it over the internet. Make J.A.R.V.I.S. pull some catalogues up on the screen and then order what you want online."

I smile excited. "So do I have a limit?"

Bruce chuckles in the background, but I'm only looking at my father. He looks from me to Bruce. "I'm going to regret this, ain't I?" he asks Bruce. Then he shakes his head at me.

I'm embarrassed to say I almost squeal of excitement. I turn to Loki, who is looking at me with slightly widened eyes. "What do you say, Loki? Do you want to stay here and shop or go outside and shop?"

I almost laugh at the slightly frightened expression on his face as he turns to my father, who only shrugs at him. "Outside, I guess?" He says it questioning, like he isn't sure if there's a correct answer to my question.

I nod. "Okay then, let's get going!" I move to stand before my father grips my wrist.

"Eat first, hon', then shop." He laughs at my flustered face. "And only for Loki, mind you. No bags or shoes or hats for you." He says it sternly with a teasing smile.

I roll my eyes at him teasingly. "When have I ever bought a hat for myself, Dad?"

We laugh at the same time, and after a while even Bruce joins in. I smile reassuringly at Loki, trying to show him that I'm not crazy or anything and that everything will be okay.

* * *

"Don't you like other colors than green?" I ask, after Loki points at the fourth green shirt.

He seems to think about it for a while, and I inwardly roll my eyes. It wasn't such a hard question, normally you only have a couple of colors you _don't_ like, one or two favorites and then all the other colors are usually fine.

"Blue is good, I guess," he says then, looking like he's picturing something in his head.

I bite my lip, not wanting to rip up in anything, when he's looking so… vulnerable, I guess is the right word. "Okay, blue is good." I smile at him. It's fun seeing him like this. He's so hesitant, everything seems new to him, he's almost like a puppy waiting for approval. But I wouldn't go that far, he still very much has a voice of his own. Which I have learnt several times today; every time I pick something that doesn't sit well with him in fact.

He moves further down the shop, clearly trying not to attract attention. The corner of my mouth moves slightly upwards as I watch him. He's wearing some of my father's clothes, which are slightly too broad for him, since Loki's much slimmer than my father. So the shirt is hanging on him weirdly, entirely too loose, even though you can't even see that right now. Since he's wearing a sweatshirt on top of it, in an attempt of hiding him. It doesn't fit him at all; not even the grey color is flattering on him. The only thing that fits him are the pants, and that's only because it's his own. Since both my father and Bruce are shorter than Loki, the result wouldn't have been flattering. Fortunately no one seems to have noticed him, or at least not realized who he is.

I wonder how he feels, being unable to do magic. I can't imagine what it must feel like to have it ripped from you; not that he didn't deserve it of course, I get why they thought it was necessary. Even though I'm secretly sad that I don't get to see more of it. But it's worse for him, I think. He doesn't seem like there's anything wrong, though. But there has to be, hasn't there? Something like that you don't just get over.

"Emma," he calls suddenly. I blink confused, not immediately seeing him, and then I move closer to be able to answer him without everyone being able to hear me.

"Yes?" I ask when I stand next to him.

"How much are we buying?" he says slightly exasperated.

I laugh. "Tired already?" Well we have been in like three shops, proven by the bags I'm holding.

He smirks. "No, are you?" I shake my head. "I was just asking because I was under the impression that we have spent a lot of money."

I nod, as I understand. "We have spent a fairly amount, yes. We're only buying what you need. I think you have to have clothes for an entire week at least, because it gets washed anyways, so you should be fine if you have that. But a little more never hurts." I smirk, "Besides my father has a lot of money."

"I think I have enough for two weeks by now, Emma, should we stop?"

I shrug. "If you want to stop, yeah. I think we can place these bags in the car and then we can go to a cafe. If you want to?" I'm kind of nervous what he'll answer, not really sure he deems it appropriate.

But he only nods and exchanges the bags in my hand for the clothes in his, so I can go pay for the new clothes. I smile at him and moves to the cashier.

After paying I reach for the bags again, only for him to grab the one I just got. I raise an eyebrow at him, "I can carry half, you know."

"And I can carry all of it," he smirks and starts walking.

"Hey, I can too! I was just suggesting we could share the load, you know."

He shrugs, "No need. I got it." I scoff, but walk up beside him anyways.

* * *

"Is it weird?" I finally ask after much considering. We're sitting at a cafe, each drinking a cup of coffee. He looks questioning at me, so I explain myself after looking around, "I mean being without your magic."

He thinks for a while before answering. "It's not weird per say. It's just different. I've lost a part of myself, but it doesn't really feel like it's gone. It's just imprisoned, you know? I can't touch it, but it's still there." I nod when he looks at me. "It's like a help I've always had, and now it's gone. For example, we wouldn't have had to shop if I still had it." He smiles slightly, in an almost melancholic way.

"But wasn't this worth it?" I smile teasingly.

The melancholy of his smile disappears until he just smiles. "I think it will be, yes."

I smile, too; knowing that he's not talking about our shopping trip. "For what it's worth, I think so too."

He takes another sip of the cup, and grimaces slightly. "Don't like it?" I ask, being careful not to laugh at him.

"It's too bitter."

I move to grab a few packages with sugar, and then pour it in his cup. "Better?"

He nods once. "Better, but not good."

I laugh. "Let's get home then, I'll make you something sweeter." I hurriedly drink the last drops of coffee from my cup and stand. "Are you familiar with cocoa?" I ask as he stands too.

He shakes his head. "Well, then you're in for a treat."

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"You're right this is better," I say as I savor the cocoa. It's sweeter than the coffee, without being too sweet, and it has a fullness that I find myself enjoying a lot.

She smiles at me without hesitation. "Told you so."

I smile back a bit more hesitant. Her I am comfortable with, but this world, without my magic, I am not. I really appreciate what my brother did for me, though. I would much rather stay here with her, looking at her smiling like that at me, even without my magic, than I would stay in a cell in Asgard.

Suddenly she looks behind me, widening her eyes a bit. "Pepper!" I turn around to take a look at the woman I only know of from what Emma has said. That Emma likes her a lot, that she's nice, she puts up with Emma's father and that she means a lot to him.

I watch Emma hug her quickly before they both turn to me. I stand from the chair, extending my hand like I know is protocol, but before I can introduce myself, she slaps me. My head whips to the side, not having expected the attack.

Surprised I lift a hand to cover my cheek; it doesn't hurt as much as it would a human, but still it left a startling tingling feeling behind.

"That was for endangering the man I love and his daughter!" she says in an almost shrill voice. Then her expression and tone change completely, when she says, "I'm Pepper Potts, I'm sure you've heard of me. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Loki."

"Pepper! You can't just hit him like that!" I hear Emma saying outraged, from where she's standing next to me. "You haven't even met him before!"

I wave my hand slightly at her to silence her; she does. "It's a pleasure meeting you, too, Ms. Potts." I nod at her once, and extend my hand once again. She narrows her eyes at me, clearly not sure how to react. "I deserved that," I clarify.

Her lips curl upwards in an outline of a smile, before she grabs my hand. "Pepper will do just fine."

* * *

 **What did you think? I really want to hear your thoughts, so please review. You have no idea how happy I become when I get a new review, favourite or follow ^^ I'll try to upload the new chapter soon! See you then ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! I'm so sorry for making you wait almost an entire month ^^ This chapter is a bit longer than usually though, so I hope that kind of makes up for it. Thank you to those who favourited, followed and reviewed, I really appreciate it, it makes me so happy! And I hope you'll continue to follow this story, even though my updates are a bit slow. Also thank you to everyone who read this story, please let me know what you think ^^**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter three**

 **An Important Question**

"Have you seen this, Em'?" my father asks, handing me today's paper. I frown confused as I accept it. The front page is two pictures, both of Loki. One where he's wearing his armor from the "war" and the other from yesterday where the hoodie has slid down enough to be able to recognize his features and his hands full of bags. _Loki back again?_ the headline says. The article speculates whether Loki is back on Earth for another try at enslaving the population. It ends with an appeal for the Avengers to do something.

"I didn't think anyone saw us," I say, slightly scared of what the repercussions will be.

My father sighs. "It probably would have happened sooner or later anyway, it's not like we can keep him imprisoned inside the building forever." He shakes his head softly, "Fury wasn't happy, though, but I already talked with him."

"I'm sorry, Dad, I really thought no one would notice." He waves my apology off, signaling it really doesn't matter. "What are we going to do then?"

My father sits down at the breakfast table before answering and I sit down across from him of him, waiting for his answer. He smiles then, "I guess we should make a statement."

He's sitting there completely carefree, casually starting to eat a piece of bread. I smile slightly at the sight, not sensing any sign of anger, disappointment or annoyance. I know him well enough to know when he's really being honest, and right now he is; he really doesn't think it's a big deal.

Apparently that doesn't mean he won't tease Loki about it though, 'cause when Loki appears at the breakfast table, sitting next to me with a small smile, he schools his expression into a frown and throws the newspaper into Loki's lap. Loki startles, his eyes blinking a few times surprised before settling on the item in his lap. Gingerly he picks the paper up, scanning the headline and the article quickly before looking up at my father, slight fear visible in his eyes. He's probably fearing that he's going to be sent back or something.

He glances at me once, before looking back at my father. "I'm sorry…?" he says, making it sound like a question because he's not sure what he's expected to do.

"If you can't even apologize properly, how do you expect to make it here?" my father asks with a stern voice. I roll my eyes, prepared to interfere if he goes overboard.

"We didn't realize we were being watched yesterday. I'm sorry if it has caused problems for you," Loki then says. I chuckle softly, since he's showing his talent for arguing.

One look at my father proves that his plan of making Loki feel scared of him failed. He shrugs at Loki's answer. "It's fine, you would have been noticed sooner or later, anyway. We're going to make a statement."

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"If you can't even apologize properly, how do you expect to make it here?" Emma's father asks. The way he's saying it makes it sound like a test. Whatever I answer, I better sound confident.

I know her father hasn't approved of our relationship yet; not that we have a "relationship", I make a mental note to find out what the customs on courting is here on Midgard.

"We didn't realize we were being watched yesterday. I'm sorry if it has caused problems for you," I finally answer. Judging from his slightly dumbfounded expression, I made the right answer. Emma's chuckle proves that too. I keep my smile contained until he answers.

"It's fine, you would have been noticed sooner or later, anyway. We're going to make a statement," he says with a shrug.

I smile and nod, knowing I passed this test. He's right, too, they wouldn't have been able to hide me for a long time. Unless they were planning to make me stay inside, and there has been no sign of that.

Tony, I guess I should start calling him that, continues eating and I do too, after smiling to Emma. She smiles back happily, before eating, too. Her smile makes me long to kiss her again. I feel like it's starting to get urgent to develop our relationship into one where we can at least kiss. I want to feel her lips against mine again. I sigh, which makes her look questioningly at me. I only smile to show nothing's wrong. Yes, I definitely have to work on changing our relationship.

"By the way," Tony starts, moving to stand from his seat to wash his used plate. When he comes back to the table, he continues, "I made you this. I trust Emma to explain everything about it, but basically you'll be able to communicate with people using it." He places a small item on the table in front of me, an item I recognize as a phone.

I nod, "Thank you."

He gestures a bit awkwardly, trying to show it's nothing to worry about. "You're welcome." I notice the look Emma gave him and know he's saying it because he was pressured by her. I smile slightly at him to show I appreciate it, before he walks out of the room.

* * *

"Are you done, Loki?" Emma asks me with a small smile. She seems to smile so easily, it's refreshing. I nod and she stands. "I'm going to teach you about the different appliances we have today. I don't really know how much you know…?" She bites her lip adorably in hesitation.

I grin slightly. "Probably not much. The last time I was here on Midgard was about the 15th or 16th century." I smirk, "I'll let you know if you say anything I already know, don't worry."

"Okay then." She grabs her plate and gestures for me to copy her. Then she rinses it and places it in a shining box. "This is a dishwasher; first you rinse the plate, glass, utensils etc. and then you place it in here, then it washes it for us."

I copy her and place the plate in the dishwasher. "Why do you call it a dishwasher when it doesn't only wash the dishes? And how do you know when it's safe to take the items out again?"

She furrows her eyebrows. "Hmm, I don't know, that's just what's it called, okay? Maybe it's just because the dishes are the biggest item in there so they kind of dominate… I don't know." She shrugs. "And it's not turned on all the time, when it's full we turn it on, well J.A.R.V.I.S. does, and then it works. When it's done it lets out a sound."

Only one thing in her explanation doesn't make sense. "Who's Jarvis?"

She widens her eyes; probably surprised I don't know. "Oh, you haven't been introduced yet?"

I shake my head. Secretly wondering if he's a servant of some sort.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. is an A.I., an Artificial Intelligence. He runs the house, my father designed him. J, say hello to Loki."

"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Laufeyson. I will be at your service, should you need me to. Please let me know if you need something." I widen my eyes as a bodiless voice speaks.

I look around startled. "Where did it come from?"

"J.A.R.V.I.S. is everywhere," she shrugs. _Is that supposed to make me feel better?_ "Should we continue?" I just nod, too stunned to reply. "Remember the phone." I pat the pocket in my pants as a reply.

* * *

"So this is my room," she presents, letting me inside. I must admit I've been wanting to see this, but I didn't know if it was appropriate to ask.

It's simple; the walls are white, the bed is made and stands at the wall opposite of the door in a small niche, a simple desk with matching chair is placed against a different wall. There's also a door leading to a bathroom and a closet against another wall. But what really captures my attention is the large bookshelf, taking up almost half the space of one wall. I step closer to that, running my fingers over the many books.

"I told you I like reading," she smiles tentatively, stepping closer to me, observing my actions.

" _That_ you definitely didn't lie about, I can see that," I smile back.

She scoffs slightly. "I didn't lie about anything, I'll let you know."

I smirk teasingly. "We'll see about that." I'm just about to stick my tongue out at her, when I realize what a childish action that would be. And then I remember where I am and does it anyway.

She giggles at me and moves across the room to sit down on her bed. She pats the place next to her, gesturing for me to come. When I sit tentatively next to her, she smiles and says, "I thought I'd teach you about the phone here. Can I have it?" She holds her hand out in front of her, palm open. I want to grab it, but instead I place the phone in it.

"Okay, you already know the texting function." She gives me a look while she says this; I smirk as an answer, clearly remembering the incident. "You can also call from it here."

While she talks she shows the different functions of the phone; eyes looking up at me once in a while to make sure I understand. It's nice, her voice I mean. It makes you want to listen to more, her voice is the kind I'd gladly drown in. It also makes me relax, her voice overall just creates a calm atmosphere; you could listen to it forever.

"Are you listening, Loki?" I blink a few times. Oops, I must have drifted away a bit. Good thing I'm good at listening and remembering.

"Of course, how could I not?" I smirk. "You were saying something about games?"

She looks surprised at me. "Oh sorry, I thought you weren't paying attention. You can download different games here, the popular choices are viewed here. It's also here you download other apps, applications. But I think my father already gave you pretty much what you need when he designed it."

I nod in response so she continues talking, moving on to the internet. Here she also grabs something she calls a laptop or a portable computer.

This is actually really fascinating. I listen intently as she explains how to search for things on the internet. I might be able to use this to figure out what the rituals for courting is now.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

When I think I have finally told Loki about everything, we move back to the living room. Sitting on the couch, is a surprise.

"Steve!" I exclaim, moving to hug him. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to travel through the states."

He smiles at me. "I was, but Tony called to say we have to make a statement about Loki. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner," he says, shaking his head.

"So did my father catch you before you went?"

"No, I made it to Brooklyn before I got the call, so I came back. It's not that far though, so it's not really a problem."

I frown slightly. "Brooklyn? What were you doing there?"

"I visited my childhood neighborhood," he answers with a sad tilt to his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I quickly apologize, but he waves my apology off.

"It's been a long time, it was nice seeing it again."

I smile, "Yeah, it must have been."

He smiles back, so I sigh relieved. And then I realize Loki is still standing behind me, so I gesture for him to stand beside me. "Loki, you already know Steve and vice versa," I present awkwardly.

"Captain," Loki acknowledges him with a nod.

Steve answers in the same way, "Loki." He glances at me and I guess I looked begging at him, 'cause he says, "I think we're past the formal stage though, you can call me Steve."

I smile gratefully at him, glad he's trying for my sake. Then I glance at Loki to see a surprised look spread over his face, before he quickly schools his face into a more grateful expression.

"I appreciate it. I would have told you to call me Loki, but you already did…" He smiles shortly, enough to show that he's teasing but not enough that he's letting down his guard completely.

Steve catches the joke and laughs. "Yeah, Laufeyson wouldn't have felt right."

Right then my father walks into the living room. "We're having the press conference in an hour, and we're leaving in half an hour."

"Who's going to be there beside the two of you?" I ask.

"Nat's meeting us there and Bruce is coming, too. And then of course the man of the hour, Loki." My father ends his answer by holding onto Loki's shoulder; he winces slightly, surprised by the sudden action he didn't predict.

"Me?" Loki asks. He looks as surprised as I feel, but I guess it makes sense since they _are_ going to be talking about him.

"Of course," my father simply answers. He turns to me, "Did you get any formal wear yesterday?"

"Hmm, not really, no. But the black pants and the green shirt will do just fine, I think. It's not too casual _and_ it's kind of his signature colors." I smile at Loki when I say this, he smirks back at me.

"Good, get changed then. We'll meet here in half an hour," my father says.

"I'm guessing I'm not allowed to come," I direct at my father with a small lift of my eyebrow. I already know what his answer is going to be.

"You got it, Em'," he says, smiling softly and a bit apologetic.

I shrug, before following Loki to his room and plan that he finds me after.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

After the conference, where the Avengers explain why I'm here and that I'm not going to harm anyone, we arrive back at the Tower. Instead of immediately finding Emma like she said, I go to my own room to find some information about modern courting rituals. I know from Emma that Tony placed a laptop in my room, along with the phone.

I quickly find it and find the internet, like Emma showed me. I search on courting rituals and modern dating. Multiple results show; _be a gentleman_ , _give gifts like flowers or chocolate_ , _girls generally like the guy to ask them out_ etc..

Generally it says that I should be a gentleman; be nice, pull out her chair, give her flowers. I also learn that I don't necessarily have to ask her father for her hand, like the last time I was here. I'm relieved to hear that, I'd rather give her father a bit more time to get used to me, before revealing the relationship. Also women typically want more power now, they're independent so I should treat them like that, which makes sense. And a date doesn't mean that anything else has to happen; it's not a promise of anything, it's just a beginning. Basically I just have to ask her out my own way and then make sure she wants another date.

I want to give her something, but I don't know if she prefer chocolates or flowers and giving both seems a bit much. Besides I don't have any money. I don't think the key to staying here is stealing, besides I'm a prince and princes don't steal.

I should ask someone, but I really prefer Tony not knowing. I'm pretty sure the Cap… Steve, I mean, left immediately after we went back and I'm not sure how to ask Bruce. Coincidentally I know that Pepper's in the living room. She should know.

I go to find her and like I thought she's sitting on the couch in the living room, reading through some papers. I sit next to her abruptly, making her twitch slightly at the intrusion. But then she turns her eyes towards me questioningly, correctly guessing I'm here for a purpose.

"I have a question about Emma," I begin, choosing to jump straight to the question when she nods, "Would she prefer flowers or chocolates?"

The left corner of her mouth moves upwards to smile, before she gets control over her expression. "Definitely flowers. Are you going to ask her out, Loki?" The smile threatening to take over her face shows that she wouldn't exactly be unhappy if I was.

That's why I don't even consider lying, when I reply, "Yes, I am."

She almost squeals, but instead settles for a big smile. "I'm glad. Do you want help picking out the flowers?"

I hadn't even considered the fact that there are several kinds of flowers, so I nod, "I'd appreciate it."

* * *

(Emma's POV)

I'm lying in my bed reading, when there's a knock on my door. It takes me a few seconds to really get out of the fictional world and back to the real one, and realize what the knock means. Loki's probably back, even though it took a lot longer than I thought it would for him to come find me. I'd expected him to come find me the minute he got home, but I know he's been here for at least an hour without coming to see me. I only know 'cause my father stuck his head in to say they were back though; he knows I appreciate that.

It's not that I mind though, since I understand the fact that he wants his alone time, too. I do, too. He has only been here for a few days, so it's not like he's completely settled in yet. Sometimes it's easier to take it all in when you're alone, so I've been trying not to smother him too much. He's always seemed to me as a person who appreciates the possibility of privacy, and I'm definitely going to give him that. After all, I want to make this experience as good for him as I can.

But the knock indicates that he's ready to hang out with me now, so I stand, moves across the room and opens the door. I blink a few times to take in what it is I'm seeing, 'cause I only expected part of it. Loki wearing black pants and a green shirt I expected; looked forward to, to be honest. Loki holding a big bouquet with bright red carnations and blueish purple tulips I did not see coming. Not that I don't appreciate it.

I open my mouth to ask what's going on, but before I can speak he says, "May I come inside?" He glances down the hallway, obviously not wanting others to witness this. Whatever _this_ is.

I nod and step aside for him to enter the room. "Sit down," he says, after I've closed the door after him. I raise an eyebrow at him, not really wanting to take "orders" from anyone, but not seeing the harm in sitting down on my chair. In the end I sit down expectantly.

He clears his throat a bit awkwardly; he seems nervous and I want to chuckle at the sight, because it's honestly really adorable. Then he starts speaking, still holding the flowers, "Emma, I didn't quite know how to do this, but I researched and found that this is what you normally do."

I furrow my eyebrows confused, still not quite understanding what he's talking about. The situation does resemble a scene you would usually see in a movie or TV-series, though. But I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

"I think you know by now that I really like you, if you didn't then you know now." I smile softly; _that_ I am very much aware of and love to be honest. "I read that you don't have to talk to the parents anymore, which I must admit, I appreciate. So I'm just going to come out and say it: Will you be mine?"

My mouth falls open in surprise; even though the scene was familiar I wasn't expecting it. And then I realize what he asked. "Yours? I think you mean your girlfriend."

He frowns, "No, I definitely mean "mine". I want you to be mine."

I laugh. "I'll say yes to being your girlfriend, Loki. You don't get to own me."

He furrows his eyebrows confused. "That's not what I meant. I like the fact that you're independent. I won't own you. You'll be mine and I'll be yours."

I smile relieved, when I realize what he means. "Okay then. As long as your mine, too, then I'll be yours. But I think boyfriend and girlfriend is better to use in front of others. I don't think my father will react very well to you saying I'm yours."

He nods and then smirks, "Does this mean I can kiss you again?"

I laugh; thrilled at the prospect. "It means you can kiss me every time you want to," I say teasingly, lowering my voice a bit.

He leans in, still smirking. But suddenly he pulls back. "Wait! I forgot to give you these," he says, handing me the flowers. "I was supposed to do that first." He pouts a bit. "Sorry, I kind of messed it all up."

I chuckle at him and squeeze his shoulder. "You didn't mess it up. I loved it, it was perfect." I smile at him and wait till he smiles back at me, then I continue, "The flowers are very beautiful. It's a very big bouquet though, not that I don't like it."

He brightens a bit. "I put a lot of thought into it, that's why it's so big. First I got you 32 red carnations; one for each day we've known each other."

I tilt my head questioningly. "We haven't been together for 32 days though?"

"I know. That's why you get these 15 tulips, too. One for each day I wasn't with you, but I wish I was. I hope to be with you for a lot longer than this, though. One day I'll be able to give you a bouquet with over fifty flowers, one for each year." He smiles at me while saying it, I can't help but smile back and blush a bit.

"Thank you, Loki, I really love them." I place the flowers on my desk and wrap my arms around him.

I can feel him tense up for just a second, before he relaxes and returns the hug. "Anything for you, Emma."

When I pull back from him a few moments later, he quickly turns my head slightly and kisses me, pulling me closer to him again. He kisses me like he's been waiting for it, and feeling the way he's holding me against him, kissing me like there's no tomorrow, I can tell he has been. I smile at the thought.

"Oh! Do you want to go on a date with me? I forgot to ask before," he says, after kissing me.

I laugh; who knew he could be so adorable. "Of course, I'd be glad to."

"Good," he smiles. I smile back.

* * *

 **What do you think? There's a bit more from Loki's POV in this chapter (it might just be because the chapter is longer idk), do you guys prefer that? Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for, I don't know, future dates between them or something, let me know ;) I hope you liked the chapter and that you'll favourite and follow, if you aren't already ^^ I hope I won't be keeping you waiting too long for the next chapter ;) See you then!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm back with chapter four and it's only been two weeks! That's progress, right ;) Hope you enjoy it!**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline.**

* * *

 **Chapter four**

 **Dating a God**

(Loki's POV)

The day of our first date goes relatively easy, I found a restaurant using the internet (and asking Pepper) easily enough. It's later it goes wrong.

* * *

"Excuse me, Sir, but formal wear are required in this restaurant. I cannot allow you to go in wearing that," the man manning the door says.

I frown and open my mouth to retort. But before I can say anything, Emma says, "We're sorry, we weren't aware. Have a good night." Then she smiles and walks away, tugging me with her.

"I'm sorry, Emma, I didn't know there were rules for what to wear," I say, still with a frown on my face.

She shrugs. "That's okay, how could you have known? Besides, that's a really expensive restaurant."

"Of course, isn't that the kind of place I'm supposed to take you?"

She laughs. "There's no rule that says that, Loki. You're just supposed to take me someplace nice." She shrugs. "Besides, how were you going to pay?"

"Your father gave me a credit card, like the one you have. So I could buy things I need and for emergencies, he said," I shrug. "I assumed he told you?"

She looks surprised at me. "He didn't." Then she smirks slightly, "So what is this; something you need or an emergency?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, "This is definitely something I need."

At that she laughs and I can't help but smile. "Good. Then we better find somewhere else you can spend that money."

My expression turns serious again. "I really am sorry, though, Emma. I wanted this date to be perfect and it's already going wrong."

She just looks at me, still smiling. "And I told you, Loki, there's nothing to be sorry for. I really don't mind. As far as I know, this date is going to be perfect."

I smile back at her; how can she be so perfect? "Should we find another restaurant?"

"If you really want to, I guess, but not for my sake," she shrugs.

"What do you want then?" I ask, confused at what she wants us to do then. We're going to have to eat something soon, if we're going to keep being comfortable anyway.

"We could just buy a hotdog each and walk around the park," she smiles and gestures to a food cart.

I frown confused, not knowing what a "hotdog" is, but she simply holds my hand and makes me follow her towards the cart. "Trust me. You'll like it."

She orders two of the "hotdogs", which seems to be a sausage lying in a bun with some kind of dressing.

"Thank you," I say as I pay and Emma accepts the hotdogs.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"You know, I feel like I didn't actually get answers to all my questions and I'm sure you didn't either. So what do you say if we resume our question asking?" I ask, and take a bite of the hotdog. I lead Loki a bit down the path in the park, before sitting down on a bench, naturally making him sit down next to me.

"Sounds good. I feel like I know you pretty well, though," he smiles.

I chuckle. "Likewise."

"I assume you had a question then?" he says, after taking another bite of his hotdog. "This isn't bad, by the way."

I smile at that. "Yeah, I did. It's actually about Thor though, is that okay?"

He nods and I lean closer. "Is it true that Thor has a wagon driven by goats?"

He starts laughing. So is it not true or is it just that hilarious?

"Yes, that is true."

I laugh. "Really?"

He smiles. "Yes, really. I've been on many adventures with him in that wagon." There's a wistful smile on his lips and I can't help but grab his hand with my free one.

"I'm sure you'll get to again," I say. He squeezes my hand in response.

"I hope so." Then he seems to shake it off and says, "The goats are magic, too, if you were wondering."

My eyes widen a bit. "How?"

"We used to eat them in the evening, and then the next day Thor would swing his hammer over the skins and bones and they would come to life again."

I chuckle. "That's really handy. They didn't remember it or anything, right?"

"No no, they love him," Loki shakes his head. He smirks, "Of course, it's very important not to break any bones; if you do that the bones are still broken after they get brought back to life."

I raise my eyebrows. "Why do I get the feeling, you once did that, Loki?"

"Well, _I_ didn't," he says, still smirking. I frown at him. "I simply made someone else do it."

I shake my head at him. "Of course, _Silvertongue_."

He looks surprised at me for a second, before he continues talking, "I assume you want to know the story?" When I nod he begins, "We were on an adventure in Jotunheim and it had turned dark, so we made a stop at this family; a mother, father, daughter and son. They were poor, so naturally Thor offered the goats for dinner, which they gratefully accepted. I wanted to see what would happen, should one of the bones end up being broken, so I talked to the family's son; Tjalfi."

I raise an eyebrow at him disapprovingly.

He waves me off. "I was young and didn't care about consequences. Tjalfi was easy to persuade, and when Thor looked away, he broke the bone to get to the bone marrow. The next morning when Thor revived the goats, one of them had a limp. Thor became very angry." At this he looks at me seriously, "You didn't meet him before, when he had a bigger temper, but he became angry very easily, especially if they were Jotünn."

"What happened then?" I ask, my eyes widened. "He didn't kill the boy, did he?"

"No, I stopped him. Killing children and innocent families is something he would have greatly regretted and so I couldn't let him do it."

I smile slightly at him. I knew he wasn't all that bad. "I'm sure he appreciated that."

Loki simply nods.

While we have been talking, we have finished the meal and are now walking around in the park. We're beginning to head towards the exit we walked through to get in here and are slowly heading back.

* * *

"This was a really nice first date," I say, a smile pulling at my mouth. We're standing in front of the door to my room.

"I agree, even though I've never been on a date before, so I wouldn't really know," he says teasingly. "For all I know, this was a really bad first date."

Instead of smiling my mouth has fallen open indignantly. "Seriously?" I cross my arms across my chest.

"I'm kidding!" he says, tugging my arms down from across my chest. "It was lovely, I would very much love to do it again. And you know what made it the best date I've ever been on?"

"The fact that it's the _only_ date you've ever been on?" I say sarcastically.

"No. The fact that it was with you," he says with a small sincere smile. Then he grabs my waist, pulling me a bit closer in the process. "Now, I believe this is the right way to end such a wonderful date."

I frown a bit. "Wha…?" He kisses me, cutting me off of my question. My eyes flutter close in bliss. Yes, this is really the perfect way to end this date.

* * *

One date quickly turns into more, and of course my father knows about our relationship by now. He isn't exactly pleased about it, but he _did_ expect it, so it's not that bad. To be honest I never thought of not telling him; it simply didn't occur to me. I guess that's the "downside" of having had only him from the beginning; I don't keep secrets from him, at least not when it's something very important to me and I don't think he should get angry about it. I did hear a conversation he had with Pepper about us, though, the day after I told him.

 _"Why do you support this relationship?" my father asks Pepper. They're sitting on the couch together in the evening, simply relaxing. I was passing by unnoticed, when I heard the question. Now I'm hiding behind a wall, trying to figure out what my father really thinks._

 _"Why don't you?" she asks back, like it's that simple._

 _My father shakes his head slightly. "The relationship consists of my daughter and a war criminal!"_

 _Pepper smiles a bit. "I wouldn't exactly call him a war criminal."_

 _My father shrugs in response. "Well, he's not exactly perfect boyfriend material."_

 _"Neither are you, yet here we are," she says. My father opens his mouth to retort, but before he can, Pepper says, "Look, we both know it has nothing to do with Loki. You just don't want her to date. But you're just going to have to live with it, because that's how it's going to be. If not Loki, then someone else."_

 _My father sighs resigned. I smile slightly; Pepper really is perfect for him. "I know. It's just that she's always going to be my little girl, I don't think I can let her go."_

 _Pepper moves closer to him on the couch, so she can lean against him. "No one says you have to. You just have to set her free a bit, let her make her own choices."_

 _My father cuddles her closer to him and that's when I leave._

After hearing that, I know I made the right decision to tell him. He deserves to know. It's not like I could have possibly kept it hidden from him anyway. And when he found out, he was just going to have a much worse reaction than he did now.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

Telling Tony wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Of course that might have been because I didn't actually have to _tell_ him. It seems he doesn't quite trust me yet, though, not that I would expect him to.

 _"Isn't there something you forgot to ask me?" Tony asks me, he cornered me in the hallway on the way to my room from Emma's. We just came back from our first date, so I'm still on a high from it._

 _His question confuses me though, and a small part of me gets scared that he saw our kiss. I frown, "What do you mean?"_

 _"Look, I saw the history on your computer, Loki." I furrow my eyebrows, but he ignores my confusion and continues, "You want to date my daughter!" The latter is said as an accusation._

 _"First, what "history"?" I ask, still lost as to what that means, and how he knows._

 _"The history on your internet search! The computer remembers what sites you went on," he explains, still angry._

 _"Oh okay," I nod as he explains. "It's true that I want to date Emma, and I am. We just got back from our first date." I try to stay calm as I say it, even though I know it might not be a good idea to tell him. I also know that Emma plans to tell him about our relationship. But I'm not going to lie to him when he's actually asking me, that's why I told him._

 _"Didn't you even think of asking me? Do you think I think it's completely okay that you're dating her?!" He's still angry with me; I guess I can understand. I probably wouldn't want my daughter to date me either._

 _"That's why I searched on the internet and it said it wasn't required that you ask for permission from the parents. That's why I didn't," I explain, still just as calm as he is angry._

 _I can tell that he believes me; believes that I didn't mean anything bad with it. Besides, he knows I'm right. And he knows that we both know that he's just having a hard time letting go of his daughter, which I understand completely. I know I'm not ideal. These are the facts that calms him slowly._

 _He sighs resigned. "Okay then, but you better treat her right!"_

 _I nod. "Always. I promise."_

All in all, I don't think it went that bad. He seemed to accept it. And the next day when Emma told him, he was pretty calm too. I'm glad. I fear what her reaction would have been, had he not accepted it.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

Over the course of the week we went on several dates; every single one as good as the first one or better. They were very varied in places, too. One day we had lunch in the park as a picnic, another we went to the zoo, we went to different cafés and even went to the movies.

Loki is still getting accustomed to "Midgardian technology", he was especially impressed by the movies. Therefore I'm also planning on showing him different iconic movies, but those can wait, for now I'm just enjoying showing him around New York. Movies are also a good way to connect to each other, I think, so I feel like it might be a good idea to make movie nights where my father and the others are there, too.

The zoo was another place that excited him; he really enjoyed watching all the animals, even though he continuously told me he was sad that they were in cages. Not like we could do anything about that, though. Those animals have spent their whole life in captivity, they wouldn't last long in the wild.

We really had fun the past week, getting used to spending time together like that. It's now natural for us to share a kiss or cuddle; of course, it still feels just as special. But we make sure not to get too close when my father is near us. He's slowly getting used to us being together, but we shouldn't tempt fate. The one time he saw us kiss, he asked us not to. He said he's alright with us being together, but he's not ready to _see_ us together, too. For now we can accept that.

One downside though, was all the articles that seemed to follow us. In the beginning they primarily focused on Loki, keeping an eye on him. But then they began to question _my_ identity, that's the problem. We haven't exactly hidden our relationship in public, even though we knew there'd be cameras. The only thing they don't know is who exactly _I_ am and that's the one thing my father and I have always kept hidden.

* * *

"We might have to make an announcement again," my father says. Then he looks at me, "The question is what we tell them."

I bite my lip. "I don't know."

"The problem is that if we don't say anything, they're going to find out on their own. They're going to follow you and I won't allow that. If we make an announcement, we can control what they know." Here he looks at me again, "We don't have to tell them who you really are, we can make something else up."

"Won't they be able to figure that out as well?" Loki asks. His hand is resting on my waist, casually comforting me.

My father shakes his head. "Not if we do a good job."

I look at my father hesitantly, "What if we told them who I really am?"

"We can, if that's what you want, sweetie. But we don't have to," he smiles sincerely at me.

"But won't it damage your reputation or something, Dad?"

Pepper chuckles at me. "When has your father ever cared about that, Emma?"

I shrug. I know his former reputation wasn't exactly good, but this is different. This time he'll admit on lying to them for my whole life.

"Emma, if you really want to be exposed like this, we'll do it. I don't care if people call me bad names. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do," my father says.

I nod hesitantly, understanding what he's saying between the lines. People might call me bad names. And I won't be able to live a life as private as I have been, but maybe it's worth it to be able to be myself. I don't want to lie, and if we tell people I'm someone else, I'll have to stick to that person every time I talk with new people and reporters. I'm not sure I can do that; not sure I can live like that. I know we might be able to tell the truth later, but that'll just worsen the response we're going to get. Then I think it's better to just tell the truth now, and let me be me.

"I want us to tell the truth, Dad. I don't want to pretend I'm someone I'm not. I want to be me," I say with confidence. Now that I've made a decision, it's easy to stick with it.

My father moves to stand directly in front of me; he's looking me in the eyes, hands comfortably squeezing my shoulders. "Are you sure?" He knows I know the risks, that's why he's not even bothering to tell me about them or convince me otherwise.

I simply nod, looking back at him with no uncertainty hidden in my eyes.

"Then that's what we'll do." He smiles at me, not worried I'll change my mind.

* * *

 **Please tell me what you think ^^ I'd love to hear your thoughts. I changed the myth Loki tells Emma; in the original myth Thor takes Tjalfi and his sister as slaves for a while, but I didn't think that would fit with the story, or the way Thor and the Asgardian community is in the Marvel universe. Hope no one minds the alterations!**

 **Once again, I really appreciate the people who has taken the time to comment, favourite and follow, it means a lot to me. So please do follow, favourite and review ^^ See you soon with a new chapter, hopefully!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I'm here with chapter five! I hope the fact that they're a bit longer than the chapters in Changing a God helps the fact that it takes longer for me to upload ^^ I'm sorry for the wait.**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter five**

 **The Daughter of Tony Stark**

"It looks like you're going to be a public person after all," Loki says with his arm around me.

"Yeah, but I don't mind it being known that I'm dating you," I smile and nuzzle a bit closer to him.

He smirks, "Of course you don't. Many people would kill to date me."

I stick my tongue out at him. "As long as I'm the only person you would _stop_ killing for," I smirk a bit.

He chuckles slightly. "Of course you are." This time he smiles genuinely at me. I smile back. The guard in front of the door gives us a sign. "Ready to let them know who you really are?" Loki asks.

"Ready when you are," I say before kissing him and then we walk through the doors.

We walk in from the side and immediately all the eyes of the reporters and cameras land on us, from where they were looking at my father and the rest of the Avengers only two seconds ago.

Loki's arm has slipped down from my shoulder and is now holding my hand in a reassuring grip. I can't quite figure out if I'm nervous telling everyone who I am, but no matter what, it's too late to change my mind. I take a deep breath as we step onto the podium on which my father, Bruce, Natasha and Clint are standing, then I smile as I catch my father's eye.

As my father gestures to the stand which is holding the microphone, I can't help but think that it's nice to have the Avengers' protection.

I know what they have said before we came in; they talked about the rumors of Loki dating someone, confirmed them and then announced our presence. That's when the guard outside gave us the signal. I also know what I'm supposed to say, know exactly what words are supposed to come out of my mouth. But then I also know that things like presentations never go exactly as I plan them; I always end up saying the speech slightly different.

I step closer to the microphone, still with Loki next to me. I smile, making sure to look as confident as I can. "Hello," I say with a clear voice, still smiling. "I'm the girl lucky enough to date this guy." I gesture slightly to Loki and notice the beginnings of a smirk in the corner of his mouth. I also hear both Clint and my father chuckle softly behind me. I smile wider at that.

"Oh," I add almost as an afterthought, "And my name is Emma Antoinette Stark."

That makes the crown go wild for a moment, until my father makes them quiet down with a few words.

"How is she related to you, Mr. Stark?" one of the reporters asks and I take a few steps back to make room for my father in front of the mic. My father doesn't let me step too far away though, 'cause he pulls me closer by placing his arm on my shoulders, making me let go of Loki in the process.

"She's my daughter, it's as simple as that," he answers, smiling at me.

Of course after that, my father can't get away without telling the whole story, or well a basic outline since some things are meant to be private. So he ends up telling them pretty much what they need to know, the cameras catching every word. I get to answer a few questions too, of course; mostly about growing up with him as my father. I'm glad they seem to be more interested in the story from my father's point of view, though, I only hope that will last. I'm counting on it, to be honest.

Loki gets to talk a bit too; since this press conference was supposed to be about his alleged dating, they have a few questions about that. He confirms my earlier statement of us dating, and doesn't try to hide the fact that they're probably going to see much more of us together, nor the fact that we would appreciate privacy.

In the end it seems we have satisfied the reporters though, for now anyway, and we are able to leave to go home.

It feels nice, though, to have told them. It's not like I regret it. Of course I prefer to have my privacy too, but I know my father will make sure to keep me safe from reporters. I know what I got into, though, so it's not like I expect to be able to live like I used to. I know it's going to be different, but at least now I can be myself. Dating Loki I don't really think there was another way, if I wanted to be me at least. So this was definitely the best way.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"Can you spare a minute, Loki?" Tony asks me. I must admit I consider saying no, for the sole reason that I don't want to be alone with him. But then again, if it's only for a minute I should be able to manage. Besides Emma wouldn't like it if she knew I declined talking with her father.

"Of course," I say and move with him to the living room, which is currently empty.

He gestures for me to sit down on the couch, which I do. But when he keeps standing, I raise an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you going to sit?"

He only shakes his head. "Listen, Loki, I've accepted the fact that you're dating my daughter. And as long as you don't rub your relationship in my face, I'll keep staying silent."

I nod appreciative, not quite understanding where he's going.

"But the thing is, now the world knows her and if you're going to keep dating in public, you should look the part. Otherwise I'm not sure it's a good idea. I don't want her to get unnecessary backlash."

I frown, glancing slightly down at myself. Of course it's nothing like the impressive uniforms I wore in Asgard, but I didn't think it was that bad either.

"I thought this was what humans wore? Emma helped choose it," I say, a bit miffed at the thought of not being fashionable enough.

Tony chuckles a bit; it doesn't seem like he's laughing _at_ me though, so I don't get offended. "And she chose perfectly. What I meant was if you plan to have dinner at a fine restaurant, you need to have a proper suit. And let's face it, you're going to have to appear publicly again."

I nod understandingly, though still with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"If you have the time now, I would like to take you to my tailor to order you a suit."

I tilt my head slightly, considering whether this is some sort of approval. "Sure, I'm not doing anything."

"Good, let's get going then," he says, already moving towards the elevator leading down to the garage. I stand to follow him.

"Where are you going?" a light voice I know all too well sounds behind us.

I turn to smile at her. "Your father is going to buy me a suit."

Her eyes instantly widen. I smile on the inside; the way her emotions are so apparent is refreshing. "Ooh, can I come?"

I turn to Tony, not sure if it's supposed to be just the two of us or if she can come.

"Sure, darling, you can help decide the colors and stuff." He shrugs and waves us with him as he turns towards the elevator again.

* * *

"We have to talk when you're done with him," Tony says to the tailor, Mr. Williams.

Mr. Williams nods and gestures to his apprentice. "Julie, you can do the measurements, while I talk with Mr. Stark."

She nods hesitantly. Then he turns to me, "My apprentice, Julie, will take your measurements, if you don't mind?" Why would I mind? If she's his apprentice, she must know what she's doing.

"I don't mind," I say. Emma has taken a seat on a chair a bit behind the small platform I'm standing on. Now I find her eyes and smile at her; she smiles back.

The girl starts measuring; her hands are shaking a bit and she has an apprehensive look on her face like she isn't sure what she's doing is okay. I roll my eyes; do I really look that scary? Shouldn't the announcements have fixed that for me?

After a while she relaxes more, getting into the routine of taking measurements, it would seem. She's still quiet, still a bit afraid of me. I see her glancing at Emma, though, almost unnoticeable but I notice.

"What color should I get?" I ask Emma, turning a bit, for me to be able to look at her properly. Julie only adapts to my new position, not telling me to turn back.

Emma looks around the small store and then stands to take a better look at the different suits. She looks back at us, "It's okay if I look, right?". I notice Julie had furrowed her brows a bit looking at Emma. But then she nods as a reply and continues her work, still keeping an eye on her.

"I think dark grey would suit you," Emma finally says. I nod approvingly. I notice Julie is done measuring; she's now standing by my side, following our conversation.

"What now?" I say a bit rude, judging at Emma's expression anyway.

"I guess I'll go ask Mr. Williams," Julie says timidly. Emma smiles at her, trying to make up for my rudeness, I guess.

While she's gone, Emma walks closer to me. "Be nice!" she says reprimanding.

"As long as she is too," I answer, rolling my eyes subtly.

I can see Emma rolling her eyes at me, too. Nice to see we're so alike; I smirk slightly.

Just then Julie comes back with a dark grey suit, showing she did indeed listen to our conversation. "If you would please wear this, I can fit it for you," she says and gestures weakly to a small changing room hidden in the back behind some clothes racks.

* * *

After changing into the suit I step onto the small platform again. The suit is slightly loose, especially around my waist and stomach area. While I was in the changing room, Julie has prepared some needles to make the suit fit better.

She starts by decreasing the width in both sides, sticking needles in here and there. It's going slow though, 'cause her hands are shaking slightly, so she keeps putting them in wrong and then has to redo it.

I sigh impatiently. She looks up at me startled and drops some needles in the process. "Can't you do it properly?" I ask, glaring slightly at her. I know that if I look at Emma, she'll give me a glare right back, so for now I avoid looking at her.

That doesn't stop her from reprimanding me, though. "Loki," she says warningly, clearly opposed to the way I spoke at the tailor assistant.

I look innocently at her, not regretting my words at all. At least she's working quicker now; probably to get me out of here.

"What are they even talking about for so long?" I ask Emma, referring to her father and Mr. Williams.

She seems to realize she won't get me to apologize, so she lets it go. _For now anyway_ , my mind supplies. She crosses her arms though, obviously not happy with me in the moment.

She shrugs in response to my question. "I don't know. Probably about getting him a new suit or something. Though I have no idea why that would take this long."

I nod, just as a needle pierces the skin in my side slightly. "Ow!" I exclaim, rubbing the small area. I might be exaggerating, but it _did_ hurt.

I turn towards the apprentice, glaring at her. "What in the name of Yggdrasil do you think you're doing?!" When she doesn't answer, I continue, "Do you have any idea who I am?! How dare you!"

The girl is cowering slightly, stepping back away from me. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to do it," she says, in a voice so small I almost can't hear it.

Emma places her hand on my arm, "Loki, relax. It was just a needle, it can't have been that bad. She didn't mean to poke you."

"That's not an excuse! I am Loki of Asgard, and you do _not_ hurt me!" I say through my teeth, holding back from actually hitting something or someone.

"Are you actually serious?" I can hear the disbelief in her voice. But she didn't feel or see what I did. "Apologize to her; she made a mistake, it's over."

"I'm not apologizing for something that's not my fault," I say, anger filling my voice.

She shakes her head, then turns to Julie, who's been standing a bit away unsure of what to do. "I'm very sorry, Julie, you didn't do anything wrong. How far were you from being done?"

"It's… okay," she answers. I roll my eyes when she smiles slightly at Emma. "I was almost done, I just need one more needle in the side just above the hip."

Emma glances at me and then cocks her head at Julie. "Do you mind if I put it in?" She smiles and who could resist that?

"Sure," Julie says. She hands Emma a needle and Emma steps to the side of me.

"How can you apologize to her?! She was the one who did wrong and you _never_ apologize for what you didn't do!" I say, glaring at Julie behind her.

She rolls her eyes. "It's simple, Loki." The calmness in her voice is almost more frightening than yelling, and makes whatever remark I was about to make die in my mouth. "She deserved an apology, and because I'm apparently dating a _kid_ , I had to do it." She ends with glaring firmly at my eyes. Okay, I really angered her. That's why I decide to keep silent until we get back home.

"Like this?" she asks Julie, who nods after leaning forward a bit to check. Just like that I move to change out of the suit.

* * *

When I come back, Tony is there. "Satisfied?" he asks me, when he notices me. I nod and glance at Emma. She's refusing to look at me.

"What about you, Em'? You're not going to be ashamed if he wears that in public, right?" he asks, laugh in his voice.

"Not because of the suit, no," she answers. "Are we ready to go?"

Tony looks weirdly at her and then at me, but then says, "Sure. Nice doing business with you, Williams."

They shake hands, Emma gives a small smile and we walk out of the store and into the car. On the ride here, Emma sat in the back with me. Now, she sits in the front next to her father.

Tony looks like he can't decide whether to say something, but then he seems to shrug it off and focuses on driving.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

I can't believe he behaved like that in the store! He seriously is like a little kid. I understand that he doesn't like apologizing for things he didn't do, but he _did_ talk in a really bad tone, and Julie did deserve an apology. Being poked by a needle isn't even that bad! Of course it hurts, but it's quick; the pain quickly subsides. To get a reaction like that, you should think she tried to kill him or something. She didn't even do it on purpose!

All my anger is getting poured out as I make dinner. It's only spaghetti bolognese, because I didn't have a lot of time and it's easy. Honestly if I had had more time I would have cooked a huge meal; it's calming to me when I'm angry or stressed.

After setting the table and placing the food on it, the others appear and sit down. I very deliberately sit beside my father, making Loki sit down beside Bruce, who I know Loki's still uneasy around.

Of course my father notices and has to ask, "What happened in the store? Why are you suddenly so cold towards each other?"

I shrug and looks at Loki as if saying "answer if you dare". Of course he stays silent.

"Emma, I'm serious. I want to know what happened," my father says after looking at Loki.

I sigh. "Fine. Loki made a big scene in the store, because Julie _accidentally_ poked him with a needle." I roll my eyes. When I see that my father doesn't quite understand, I say, "He yelled at her and refused to apologize, so _I_ had to apologize. Have you got any idea how embarrassing it is to be forced to apologize for a _grown man_?!" I direct my last sentence at Loki.

"She deserved it!" Loki says, getting riled up too.

I roll my eyes again. "Seriously?! She _accidentally_ poked you with a needle! How is that cause for a reprimand?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "It wasn't just because of _that_! She was clearly jealous." He's almost snarling by now, which is probably why my father decides to take action.

"Hey hey!" he says, his hands making calming movements. "You need to relax. You're both going to be hurt if you continue. Slow down and talk about it."

"Fine," I groan at my father. I then look at Loki again, "She was not jealous, Loki. She was probably just scared of you, who could blame her?"

Loki shakes his head. "I meant she was jealous of me; she wanted you."

I scoff. "Why would you even think that?"

"She kept stealing glances at you! I noticed, you know," he says. If he was any other guy, he would be pouting right now.

"I don't think she was gay, though, Loki," I say, frowning a bit at his theory. He raises an eyebrow at the word, so I clarify, "likes girls."

He frowns. "Oh. Isn't that normal? I didn't know humans cared that much about genders."

"Well, the majority of the population is straight; goes for the opposite sex. But of course a lot of people are gay, too. I guess we do care a lot about genders and labels," Bruce says and I blink surprised. I had almost forgotten that they were watching.

"Isn't it like that in Asgard?" I ask, already having a feeling of what the answer will be.

He shrugs. "People doesn't care in the same way in Asgard, though it is considered "normal" to get married to someone of the opposite sex."

"So you're bisexual?"

"You've read the myths: you tell me," he teases.

I smile slightly at him.

Pepper clears her throat. "I think Julie was probably just interested in Emma. _Not_ in a romantic way, but because she was revealed today. Tony is a really big deal especially in this country, and it's really huge that he has a daughter. She probably heard the news and was interested. That store was probably the first place they have visited together with people knowing them both. I'm sure there was nothing else in it." My father nods agreeing.

"I guess I… overreacted," Loki says then and I smile.

"I forgive you, if you promise it won't happen again. Now let's eat!" He nods and smiles back.

* * *

 **What did you think? I really love hearing your opinions, so don't hesitate in writing a comment :D Btw I have never been in a tailor shop, thus I have no idea how it actually works. This is just how I imagine it ^^ I hope you can overlook any mistakes in that, otherwise tell me and I'll see if I can change it. Please favourite, follow and review! I love it when you do so, than you to everyone who is already doing it 3 See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I'm so so so sorry for the long wait T-T I can't believe it's been so long... I don't even have a proper reason, othe than the fact that this chapter was really hard to write and I've been kind of enjoying my last freetime before I start university (I'm studying Comparative Literature for anyone who's interested). I'm really sorry. I hope the chapter is worth the wait. Thank you to everyone who waits for me and likes the story! It means a lot ^^**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter six**

 **Trouble in Paradise**

The thing is, even though Loki seems like he's changed and it's all better, he hasn't really. Not yet anyway. My father likes to say that he has with me; that he genuinely does not want to hurt me or do something that hurts me, and that he therefore has changed at least part of his behavior. I believe that's right, in a way; I don't think it's entirely because of me. Rather I encourage the idea that he's just finding himself again; the _true_ Loki. But one thing I don't believe he is, is evil. He might have done evil things, entertained the wrong actions for the right intentions, and acted under others' surveillance. But Loki himself isn't evil, and I think he's starting to realize that about himself again; that he isn't a monster. I might have something to do with that, I don't know. Either way I'm not going to take credit; this is all coming from himself.

But the fact that he's changing doesn't mean that he has yet, not completely. He's still arrogant, still believes himself to be above others, still has an attitude of getting what he wants. And _that_ I wouldn't mind if he changed, because it's getting tiring.

I believe Loki's always been a prankster, someone who enjoys joking, someone who teases; of course growing up a prince I think he might be a bit spoiled, so that definitely explains the "don't touch what's mine"-attitude. But I also believe that everything is relative and that means everything is changing; that everything _can_ change. When the day comes where he no longer has that attitude of possessing everything and getting completely irrational over it, I might just choose to take credit for it.

I'm joking, of course; I still believe every change will come from himself. I'm simply going to help him realize what behavior isn't acceptable here, especially not if he wants to date me.

* * *

We're coming back from a day in the park when it happens, we're simply walking hand in hand down the sidewalk.

The day has been nice, the sun is shining warmly down on us and when we sat down on the grass in the park, the grass felt fresh. There were a lot of people there, too; people walking like us, children playing, friends laughing, elder couples that make me jealous of their love which has lasted for so long.

"I want that," I said to him, while we were sitting on the grass. I was looking at an elder couple a bit away; the woman smiling at her husband lovingly while he held her hand.

Because I turned my head right as I said it, I saw the slight frown that graced his forehead; it disappeared before I could blink, though, so I quickly forgot about it. "I'm sure you'll get it," he said then, and squeezed my hand almost unnoticeably.

The day has been peaceful, full of summer. But then, when we walk back home, I'm suddenly reminded that Loki hasn't been here for very long and that he still hasn't completely changed; that he can still get angry of the smallest thing.

The thing that makes it noticeable, is when a woman bumps into me while we walk. This happens a lot in busy cities, which you can hardly deny that New York is, so I ignore it. Loki isn't from here, though. He isn't used to being pushed together on a sidewalk that has to hold a lot of busy people; being raised as a prince he's used to space between himself and others. Safe to say, he doesn't ignore it.

 _"What do you think you're doing?" he says calmly to the woman who just bumped into me. She continued walking but at his tone she stops, turning halfway to face him._

 _I grip onto Loki's arm, trying to stop him from making a scene. "It doesn't matter, Loki," I say warningly, but of course he doesn't budge one bit._

 _"Excuse me?" the woman says. She's wearing a business suit and a bag, and she's clearly heading somewhere important. It's obvious that she's busy by the way she's holding herself; clearly anxious to get moving, to not be late by the looks of it._

 _"Don't you think you owe my girlfriend an apology?" Loki asks and this time there's a dangerous tilt to his voice._

 _I can feel the heat moving to my cheeks and looks down slightly. "Oh god," I mumble at his words._

 _"Why?" I can hear the impatient tilt to her voice, and once again I pull slightly at Loki's arm. Can't he see he's embarrassing me?_

 _"You hurt her, that's why," he answers, as if the embarrassment isn't enough already._

 _I roll my eyes. "She didn't hurt me," I say and then turn fully to the woman, "You didn't hurt me. I'm fine."_

 _Once again Loki doesn't budge the slightest, even though he should know by now that I want him to forget about it and leave._

 _"_ Your girlfriend _clearly doesn't care," she says then and I sigh inwardly, because the way she said "your girlfriend" is like a foolproof way to get Loki angry._

 _His glare proves me right; even though I kind of wish I was wrong. "Listen here,_ mortal _, you bumped into_ my _girlfriend and you_ will _apologize. Do it or I will make you!"_

 _"Sorry, I guess," she says then directed at me, clearly detecting the anger in his voice. I can't tell if she realizes who we are, but at this point I'm pretty sure she's willing to do almost everything to get out of the situation. And apologizing isn't really a big deal._

 _I sigh relieved, when she turns away for the second time, thinking it's done. But looking at Loki I can tell he's not satisfied._

 _"Not good enough!" he growls and before I can even blink he's holding her wrist in a firm grip, preventing her from moving away._

 _"Let go of me!" she says, anger getting to her, too. Though I do think she's more entitled to be angry than he is. If anyone it should be me, and I don't care. Who does he think he is to be angry on my behalf?_

 _At this point I'm actively thinking about leaving; to just get away from this. But then again, who knows what kind of trouble he would get into without me? I move to stand next to him, placing my hand on his arm. "Loki, just forget it. Let's go!" I say insisting._

 _He ignores me and instead lifts his hand to hurt her in some way. Just then I see someone pointing a camera our way and I immediately react._

 _I force my way between Loki and the woman to be able to look him in the eyes. "We're leaving now, Loki! No question," I say determined._

 _He looks so stunned that I can easily pull him with me away from all the chaos. "Sorry," I say to the woman, before we disappear between the people on the street and find our way home. I find myself being on the lookout for cameras, and I can't help but think that this might be more trouble than it's worth. Of course as soon as I think that, Loki sends me this look that makes me forget all about it._

The thing is, I don't really know how to "change" him, per se. I don't know if I have the right to either. But then again, he was supposed to become "worthy" enough to get his magic back, and Thor said I could help him. Doesn't that mean I'm "allowed" to change him? He has to change to become worthy, right? I don't know really, all I know is that a behavior like that isn't okay. Not in my book (nor according to the law), and if he continues it, I think he's going to spend a _lot_ of time on Earth.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

My two weeks are almost up, soon I'll have to visit Asgard. Visit? When did I start thinking of this as home? Thinking back I can't really remember, the only thing really standing out is Emma. She made this place home for me and it's only been two weeks. I sigh inwardly. Looking at her now, she doesn't seem to realize how much it means to me; how much _she_ means. And what scares me more, she doesn't seem to think it's worth it. I guess I really did anger her with the scene on the sidewalk.

I frown slightly at the way she's pulling me with her inside the building; her hand is gripping tightly around my wrist. It's not like it hurts, but it's still uncomfortable. I try to smile at her, but she looks away.

As soon as we're inside the elevator taking us to the right floor, she lets go off my wrist. Even though it wasn't particularly nice before, it feels much colder now that she has let go. I find myself eyeing her hand, wondering what she would do if I grabbed it. I don't think of myself as cowardly or someone who is often scared, but somehow I'm too scared of her reaction if I take her hand. I don't want her to let go.

I keep staring though, counting the small freckles on the back of her hand. She only has three, of what I can see anyway. She walks straight from the elevator to her room when it stops, slamming the door. It's loud enough that I'm able to hear it from where I'm standing just outside the elevator, even though her room is down the hall, far enough away that I can't see her door.

"Trouble in paradise?" I hear a woman say, a teasing tilt to her voice. Romanoff.

Her and Barton are sitting by the kitchen table, watching me with amused expressions. I frown at her words, not finding myself agreeing with them.

"Not any of your business," I snap, walking towards my own room.

"Aw come on, Loki, what did you do?" She continues in a light voice, still teasing.

I glare at her, turning and walking a few steps towards her. "Not. Any. Of. Your. Business!"

"That's where you're wrong, buddy." I shift my gaze to Barton when he talks. I raise my eyebrow at the last word, though.

"You see, Loki, in a family you care about each other. So if you've hurt Emma in any way, it's going to affect us too," Romanoff supplies.

I scoff. "You're not exactly a family."

Barton frowns. "Good thing Emma isn't here to hear you, then you would have hurt her twice in the last hour."

"Well, this is the only thing close to a family I've ever had, so for me it's a family," Romanoff says.

During our small conversation I've moved closer, so I'm now sitting opposite them at the table. "Fine, you're a family," I say, rolling my eyes subtly.

They exchange a look I'm not quite sure what means and then they both look back at me. I look questioningly at them.

"So what did you do, Loki?"

I look calmly at them, mostly to hide that I'm not exactly sure what to tell them. They're both pretty patient, though, and if you add Romanoff's glare into the mix, it's obvious I'm not going to win.

"I might have made a scene when we were walking," I offer then.

"What kind of scene?" Romanoff asks then.

"Someone bumped into Emma and it's possible that I yelled at the woman," I say. It's kind of embarrassing to say it out loud, especially because I have gotten the message of it not exactly being appropriate.

"Are you serious?" Barton looks at me like I'm a fool; I imagine it's the same way I usually look at Thor.

"Of course I'm serious," I snap, not liking the way he's looking at me.

"You really need to learn to control your temper, Loki," Romanoff shakes her head. "The sidewalks are busy, it's pretty impossible not to bump into someone by accident. If you can't handle that, you're not going to do well here."

"Besides if you want to keep Emma, then you might want to stop embarrassing her in public," Barton adds, "And angering her and making her sad." He smiles slightly at the end, like it's supposed to be a joke.

"I already know that!" I say, not accepting the joke. "But it's difficult, when everyone seems to be angering me."

"You just need to get used to this world. I'm not saying you're the only one who has to change, but some things are just going to have to be adjustments on your part," Romanoff says, calmness in her voice despite my own raised voice.

"Maybe other people just need to get used to me!" I say angrily.

Barton rolls his eyes. "Come on, Loki! We all know that you're not the overconfident proud slayer of worlds that you pretend to be. You can be who you really are now. No one's going to judge you." He shrugs, "Unless you turn out to be a huge jerk of course." He laughs until Romanoff sends him a look.

"Easy for you to say," I mumble. Out loud I say, "It would be a lot easier if Emma would just tell me what I shouldn't do."

I'm pretty sure Romanoff heard what I mumbled, but chooses to overhear it. "She's not your guardian, Loki, although I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to help you. She's your girlfriend, it's not her job to be your monitor; to raise you. She'll help you, she already has I think, but she shouldn't have to bear all of it by herself. That's not your girlfriend's job, that's your friends'." She smiles, while I just frown.

"What friends?"

"Us, of course!" Barton exclaims, throwing his arm around me.

"You?" I ask with raised eyebrows, removing his arm from my shoulder.

"Yes, I'll have you know I make a very good friend," Romanoff says.

"I guess it beats having you as enemies," I shrug.

Inside I can't help but be a bit happy that these two people have chosen voluntarily to be my friends. "Let's be friends then."

"Good. First things first," Natasha says and before I can ask her what she's talking about, she punches me lightly in my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I growl, feeling slightly betrayed.

"That was for being a jerk to Emma," she shrugs and smirks, "Friends can do that, you know, if someone's being an idiot."

I groan. What exactly did I get myself into now?

* * *

(Emma's POV)

When Loki apologizes to me later in the day, I accept it. If only because I can't bear to walk around being mad at him. And also because he was sincere, of course.

I don't quite know why it's so easily for me to forgive him, it just kind of happens. When he looks at me in that special way he saves just for me or when he's being sincere, I can't help but forgive everything. It's terrible in a way; I think some might call it manipulation. But to me it's just natural. When he's actually serious about his apology, when he understands why I got angry, wouldn't it be mean of me not to let it go? I still think he deserves a chance.

He's not perfect, I know that. But neither am I. I don't think I've ever met someone who was perfect, not even Steve. Everyone has flaws, imperfections, but isn't that what makes us _people_ in a way? People makes mistakes and the same seems to count for gods, too. So I don't particularly mind the fact that he makes mistakes. I assume that once he actually understands the life here, he won't make those stupid accusations anymore. Of course he won't stop being Loki, and that means he'll probably still have a temper, still be protective, still be mischievous. Not that I want to lose that.

Seeing him sitting in the couch with Natasha and Clint in the evening, kind of helps, too, I guess. Just because it proves to me in a way that he's trying and that's enough for me. It's funny actually, seeing them together. I hadn't really imagined them as friends, certainly not as the first friends Loki would find here. But it makes sense now that I see them together, in a way they have a lot in common. They seem to switch between talking seriously and laughing; the latter makes me smile, too. Not that I'm watching them of course, instead I find my father and Bruce in one of the labs.

* * *

"Tomorrow it's been two weeks, right?" my father asks, sitting down in the couch next to Pepper, who nods at his question. It's no surprise that she knows. I follow behind him, moving to sit next to Loki, before I notice the missing space for me and frown slightly. I move to sit on the opposite couch instead, the one on which only Natasha is sitting. I can't have been sitting there for more than five seconds, before I'm joined by Loki. He pulls me slightly closer to his side, when I smile at him.

"Hey, keep it PG-13 in front of me!" my father exclaims then.

I roll my eyes. "Relax, Dad, we're only hugging."

"Still, it's not…" he says, but I interrupt him.

"Just be happy I'm not kissing him in front of you." I look at him pointedly to get the message across.

He doesn't answer, instead just purses his lips slightly.

I smirk slightly at his reaction, clearly seeing his objection with seeing us kissing. Not that we're going to; I'm perfectly aware that my father does actually have the power to cut our relationship off. So it's better not to tempt him.

Loki is surprisingly quiet actually, no reaction at all when I look at him. I frown slightly at him, trying to get a reaction from him. He only looks questioningly at me.

"Are you okay?" I whisper to him, trying to make sure the others don't hear it.

He shrugs, giving me a small smile, but for some reason it doesn't reach his eyes.

"Aren't you excited to return tomorrow?" I ask him then.

He shrugs again, but I keep looking expectantly at him until he sighs and says, "If I could choose I would stay here with you."

I smile a bit at that incredibly cheesy response. "Don't you want to see Thor and your parents, though? It's only for two days."

"Not particularly," he answers. I frown.

"What about your friends, Loki?"

Now it's his turn to frown. "What friends?"

"You must have someone there you want to see," I probe. I can't believe he doesn't have anyone there, how sad is that? I wish I could do something.

He shrugs. "Maybe my mother." He doesn't sound excited though.

"I'm sure she's looking forward to seeing you, too, Loki!" I try to make him happy again. That brings a small smile to his face, so I continue, "I'm sure you'll have fun. And it's only two days, and then you'll come back to me." I smile, "You can see Sleipnir too, right?"

He nods.

"Then you can tell him all about me," I smile. I'm joking, just trying to make him smile again.

"That's not too bad of an idea actually," he says softly.

I pout slightly. "Then only the good things!"

That makes him laugh teasingly at me, which makes the others look at us from where they were having their own conversation before.

His eyes still doesn't shine as much as they usually do, he's still thinking about tomorrow. But I think I managed to make him feel just a little better about it. He'll come back Saturday evening anyway, so it's not like we'll have to miss each other for too long.

* * *

 **What do you think of this chapter? Please comment, favourite and follow ^^ It really makes me happy and it does encourage me to write, although it might not seem like it since you've waited for so long. I realise Clint and Natasha might be a bit ooc, but this is just the way they came out kinda? I don't know... I do have a plot for this story, the problem is that the things I'm really looking forward to writing is a bit down the line. So if anyone has anything they want to happen, I can probably write it for you ^^ Hope you liked it! I'll try to update quicker but unfortunatey I can't promise anything. See you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, I'm finally here again! I'm so so so so so sorry :( I can't apologise enough for the long wait. I'm really sorry! I don't even know where the time went, but suddenly it's been eight months D: I really appreciate the ones of you who hasn't left! I really hope you enjoy this ^^**

 **As always, I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Time Apart**

"Ready to go?" I ask him. He nods, shrugging slightly as to reassure me that he isn't looking forward to it. We're sitting in my room, preferring to have some privacy before he has to go.

"I'll look forward to you coming back," I say, leaning slightly into him.

He hums agreeing, "Me too, Emma." He places his arm around me to pull me closer to his body.

Suddenly there's a knock on my door. "Thor's here," Natasha says behind the door.

"We're coming," I answer. I move to stand, but before I can he pulls me closer and locks our lips together in a long kiss. I smile at him when we lean away from each other again and he stands to pull me up with him.

As we're walking towards the living room, where the others are, he grabs my hand and squeezes it. I can almost feel the nervousness radiating from him; I wish he didn't feel like that. I squeeze his hand back, "We should be able to handle two days away from each other, don't you think, Loki?"

He huffs softly, "I assume so. But where does it say we _have_ to? I mean, one thing is being able to, another is forcing us to."

I chuckle hesitantly. "I guess you're right. But I think your father kind of made that rule, and we have to follow it." I hesitate a bit, before continuing, "I know you don't want to, but you should try to have fun."

He only shrugs as an answer, and then moves to stand with Thor as we've reached the others.

I frown slightly, not quite understanding if I said something wrong. But then he smiles shortly at me, too quick for anyone else to notice, but since I'm already looking at him, I catch the slight upward turn of his lips.

"Brother! It's good to see you," Thor exclaims, placing an arm around Loki's shoulder.

"Likewise," he mumbles in reply. I smirk; it's obvious that he actually means it. And equally as obvious that Thor notices it too.

"The stay has been good for you, Loki," Thor says, nodding as though something very obvious has just occurred to him.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"We missed you, Loki," my mother says, hugging me close to her at the first chance she gets. I steal a glance at Odin, doubting that he'd missed me.

"I missed you, too, Mother," I say, mumbling, when she steps back and looks expectantly at me.

"You must tell me everything," she smiles then, probably sensing my slightly awkward mood. She tugs me with her to my room, as I can't help but smile lightly in reply.

"How is it down there?" she asks me as soon as we're alone in my room. And I tell her everything, except I hide the fact that Emma's much more than just a good friend.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"… Stark! Miss Stark!" I wake up to the sound of JARVIS calling my name. It sounds like he's been calling for a while. When I look at the clock I can tell it's only 2AM.

"What is it, J?" I ask sleepily; my brain not fully functioning yet. Though as I slowly regain a conscious state, I remember that it has to be something important if he's waking me up in the middle of the night.

"I'm afraid I had to wake you up according to our agreement from 2010." I frown slightly, not remembering exactly what our agreement is about. Thankfully JARVIS continues, "Your father hasn't been sleeping for 72 hours and I'm afraid he's about to break down."

That makes me widen my eyes and scramble to sit up. "72 hours? And you're only telling me now?!" _How did I even miss that?_

"I was under specific orders from Mr. Stark not to alert anyone, but you _did_ order me to alert you if he went without sleep for more than three days again, which allowed me to override them." Somehow he manages to sound almost smug about finding a way around my father's orders.

"Thank you," I say, before hurrying out of bed. I grab my bathrobe before walking towards the elevator, determined to get my father to sleep.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"Back already, Loki, haven't even given us time to miss you yet!" The smirks are growing bigger, as the warriors surround me. I really regret walking alone in a place that holds no one else but me and my tormenters.

"You're just a monster, aren't you?!" Of course, I _could_ easily fight them off, if there hadn't been the _small_ problem of my magic missing.

I take the punches they throw at me, trying to keep a positive mindset through all the jeers and hits. I'm picturing honey blond hair, smooth when I run my fingers through it, and chocolate brown eyes, searching my soul, telling me to behave, to not react, even when they call me a monster, even when they punch hard enough to break my nose.

"I guess, without your magic you really can't do anything, can you? Your one useful quality gone, so why do we even need you?!"

"You're worthless!"

I try to resist fighting back, I really do. But it's only for so long I can take being hit, before I have to punish them. They're partially right, though; my magic is gone for now and I've never really been a fighter, a warrior. They're all warriors, though, so anyone would be able to guess the outcome.

In the end I walk back to my room bruised, vowing not to tell anyone as to not make them think me weak. The only one who knows is Eir, and that's only because I needed someone to heal me, since I unfortunately can't do it myself at the moment.

 _You're worthless._

* * *

(Emma's POV)

As I step into the lab I find my father working diligently on something I can't see. He doesn't react at first, just continues working. It's not until I'm standing right next to him, that he moves.

"You should be sleeping, sweetie," he says, moving around me to get to another blueprint.

I lift an eyebrow. "I could be saying the same thing to you, Dad."

I can see the bags under his eyes, as I stand there watching him. The way he's moving also makes it obvious that he's running on far too little sleep; he's slightly slumped over and his movements are slow. I grab his arm softly, when he moves around me again, and he jumps slightly, like he already forgot I was here.

I sigh. "Dad, you need to sleep. JARVIS told me you haven't slept for a while."

"Traitor," he mumbles towards the ceiling. "I'm fine, Em'. I need to finish this."

I frown. "No, you don't, Dad. Not right now. Right now you need to sleep." When he doesn't move, I start to pull his arm a bit. "Come on, Dad."

He sighs, "Emma, just go sleep. I'll stay here."

I look determined at him. "No! We both need to sleep, Dad." I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's considering it. "Look, I'm not sleeping until you are."

He stares at me for a moment; judging how determined I am, I think. Then he says, "Fine." I start to smile, but then he continues, "I'll go lie down, but I won't sleep."

My hand has slipped down from his arm to his hand; I squeeze it. "You know, Dad, it's okay to have nightmares," I say, recognizing the symptoms from myself, back when my father was kidnapped.

He looks surprised at me. "That doesn't mean I have to enjoy them, though," he says, before relaxing his shoulders even more and gesturing towards the elevator.

He can't quite hide a yawn when we stand in the elevator and I smile slightly at him, before yawning myself. His arm is now laying around my shoulder; acting both as a thankful and a tired gesture.

"You should stay here, like when you were little," my father says as he lays down on one side of the big bed. He must have noticed my second yawn.

I shrug and lay down on the other side of the bed. He's fidgeting on his side of the bed, clearly not willing to sleep and surrender himself to the nightmares.

I sit up in the bed, leaning against the headboard. "You used to sing this song to me when I couldn't sleep," I say, before slowly starting to sing _Baby mine_.

"Baby mine, don't you cry

Baby mine, dry your eyes

Rest your head close to my heart

Never to part, baby of mine."

I watch him roll his eyes slightly at my choice of song; not that it should surprise him since that really was the song he used to sing to me.

"Little one when you play

Pay no heed what they say

Let your eyes sparkle and shine

Never a tear, baby of mine.

If they knew all about you

They'd end up loving you too

All those same people who scold you

What they'd give just for

The chance to hold you.

From your head to your toes

You're not much, goodness knows

But you're so precious to me

Sweet as can be, baby of mine."

As I end my song I notice his breath has evened out and he's sleeping. I hope he'll be able to sleep through the night. I yawn, feeling my own need for sleep, too. So I lay back down and close my eyes to fall to sleep, Loki's face the last thing I think about before falling asleep.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

I miss Emma. I miss her smile. I miss her eyes. I miss her hair. I miss her smell. I miss her touch. And I really don't care if it's weird. I'm tired of being laughed at, I'm tired of being here. This place used to be home, I don't know when that changed. Was it when I discovered what I was? When I fought Thor? When I fell into the void? When I fought him again? When I met Emma? When I was imprisoned here? When I was sent back to Emma? I really don't know. Because I do remember a time when Thor and I were young and we had fun and I didn't mean anyone any harm. This was home. And it was still home after I knew I was Jotünn. Maybe it is Emma after all, maybe it's not.

Anyway, I don't _want_ to stay here. I want to go home. And home is where she is. Not here. It's only been 26 hours; I know, I've counted. That means I have about 11 hours left of this. As far as I'm concerned this is the real punishment.

I'm not sure I can take this every two weeks. It might not seem that long, but for me it's close to torture; of course that's only worsened by the very real punches I've received while staying here. I have to at least try to do something.

* * *

"Is it possible for this visit to be shortened in the future?" I ask my parents in their salon.

My mother frowns and Odin raises his eyebrow at me. "What reason do you have for that?" he asks.

"I…" I start without knowing how to continue. I stop to think about what to say, but before I can even think of a proper answer, my mother says, "You're not happy here, are you?"

When I look at her shocked, she smiles slightly. "I've known you for a long time, Loki, I know when you're longing for something else."

She doesn't look particularly sad about the prospect, so I shrug, "I guess you're right. I was happier on Midgard." The admission makes her smile genuinely. What I didn't expect was for Odin to smile, too.

"Henceforth you only have to stay one day, that should be time enough to catch up," he says, with warmth in his voice. I frown slightly, not quite understanding his sudden kindness.

"Thank you," I say.

He claps me on the back when I turn to leave, "I'm happy you're happy on Midgard, Loki, you'll get your magic back in no time if you keep it up."

I let myself smile genuinely. "Thanks, Father."

* * *

(Emma's POV)

I miss Loki, but it seems I have bigger problems on my hands right now.

"It's my lab, Emma, you don't get to decide whether I'm allowed to work or not!" I roll my eyes inwardly at my father.

"When you're about to work yourself to death, then yes, Dad, I do get to decide," I answer, trying very hard not to yell back at him.

"Dad, come on, I'm worried about you," I mumble, walking closer to him.

"You don't have to worry about me, sweetie, I'm fine," he says and hugs me.

"You're not fine, Dad, and that's okay. I just want you to work this out, whatever this is. That's what you do, right? You fix things." I smile at the end, showing him it's partly a joke.

Luckily he smiles back. "Yeah, that's what I do, Em'."

"Good," I say. "Look, I called Rhodey. If you don't want to talk to me about it, can't you at least talk to him?"

He sighs. "Emma…"

"Please. For me?" I plead, pouting at him.

He rolls his eyes in a way that I know means he's amused. "Fine. For you."

* * *

(Loki's POV)

There's one thing I wanted to do when I got here. I haven't seen Sleipnir for a very long time, and it's time I did. I find him on the grass field in front of Valhalla.

"Hello Sleipnir," I greet him, petting his neck. "It's been far too long. Do you want to go for a run?" He neighs in response. I smile and swing myself up.

We ride for some time, Sleipnir knows exactly where to take us. There's a place we used to go to, when we wanted to talk alone. A place of quietness and stillness, like everything is okay there.

As soon as we arrive, I slide off of him. I sit down leaning against the big apple tree that grows here. Sleipnir stands close by; close enough for me to pet him, while he nips at the green grass.

"There's someone I have to tell you about, Sleip'. She's amazing. I think you'd like her."

He neighs in response, _She must be special then_.

I smile, "She really is."

 _Then tell me about her._

I smile. "She's beautiful." Sleipnir stops eating for a moment and looks at me as questioning as a horse can look, "Both inside and out. She's kind and forgiving. She's strong, head strong sometimes. She's caring."

 _You sound like you really like her_ , he neighs, pushing my shoulder softly with his head.

"I do, and the best part is that she likes me too. Actually she likes you, too, Sleipnir. She is very fascinated by the myths, and she really wants to meet you and the others." I swallow, "But I'm not sure I can grant her wish."

 _Probably not, though I'd like to meet the woman who has enamored my father._

I chuckle in response. "Maybe I'll figure something out," I shrug. "It would be nice to show her where I'm coming from. Even though it sounds like something from a dream."

* * *

"Goodbye, Loki. We will look forward to seeing you in two weeks," my mother says, hugging me goodbye as I'm about to be sent back to Midgard.

"Be happy, Loki," my father says and I smile in response.

"I'll look forward to seeing you. Goodbye, Mother, Father," I nod in greeting before turning to Heimdall. "Send me back."

I don't even manage to turn around again before a swirl of energy and color takes me away and I'm standing in the kitchen of the Avengers Tower, or whatever it's called. I look at the clock on the kitchen wall and realizes with a sigh that it's too late for me to see Emma. I consider for a short moment trying to sneak past her father's bedroom to get to hers, but decide it isn't worth the risk of getting unapproved. Instead I grudgingly make my way to my own room, looking forward to seeing her the next day.

* * *

 **Did you like the chapter? I really want to know your opinions ^^ So please comment, and please favourite and follow this story! It means a lot to me. I really hope you enjoy it ^^ And I'm over halways done with the next chapter, so hopefully it won't take me too long. I'll really try, I promise :D**

 **Oh, and by the way, Eir is an Asgardian goddess, whose power is healing, she's like their doctor :)**

 **See you soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! I made you wait again, I'm sorry. But I hope the story is worth your wait ^^ The chapter got a bit longer than I thought it would, so you get a bit more for the wait :)**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the storyline**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Sadness and Lies**

I wake up with the thought of Loki being back in my mind. I smile, still with my eyes closed, just to savor the feeling of happiness. I can't decide whether I think the two days have gone quickly or not; on one hand I've missed Loki and it feels like I've waited forever to see him; on the other hand I barely had the time to _really_ miss him because of my father. I still can't believe I didn't know something was wrong. But I guess it's to be expected; who wouldn't be traumatized by everything that has happened to my father? Seriously.

I open my eyes and look at the time. Still early, which hopefully means that my father is still asleep, since I made sure he fell asleep last night. Time to see Loki then, I smile again.

I quickly get ready and almost run to the dining room, where I assume he'll be.

When I arrive, he's sitting exactly where I thought he would be, glancing at the clock. I smile and skip up to him happily, "Loki!" I exclaim and hug him as soon as he gets up.

He smiles back, pulling me into a tight hug. "I missed you," he mumbles into my hair. I show him my agreement to his statement by pulling him into a passionate kiss. He eagerly participates.

"Not the image I want to see when I wake up, Emma," my father's voice sounds behind me. Loki freezes into the kiss, unfortunately pulling away from me.

I frown and turn around. "Why are you up so early, Dad? That's not like you." I move to the coffee maker while speaking, knowing it's going to be necessary.

"Couldn't sleep," he answers, making his way to one of the chairs around the dining table. He greets Loki with a nod on his way, "You're back," he says, sounding neutral about it. Loki nods in response, even though it wasn't a question.

"You know, Emma, that image I walked in on isn't exactly making me more favorable to that idea of yours."

I roll my eyes at him and tilt my head frowning. "That 'idea' of mine _has_ been decided on, Dad, so it doesn't really matter what you think of it. And you can't stop me from kissing my boyfriend." I hand him a cup of coffee, before sitting down opposite my father, next to Loki, who has sat down again in the meantime.

"I'm the one the plan involves, of course I can stop it," my father says, calmly drinking his coffee.

I shrug. "Sure, Dad, just convince Pepper you don't have to go." I smirk at his hopeless expression. "It'll be fine, Dad. It's not like I'm all alone here," I say, knowing exactly why he doesn't want to go.

Loki clears his throat. "You're leaving?" he asks my father confused.

I nod, even though he isn't looking at me. "Yes, unfortunately I am. But don't you dare get any ideas!" my father warns him sternly. "There will be people here to watch you!"

Loki just nods. "Consider me warned," he says and I chuckle, sharing a quick grin with him.

"This isn't funny!" my father says, almost standing up.

I roll my eyes again. "We know, Dad. Not getting any 'ideas', I promise." I smile at him. "Besides Nat and Clint will be here, right? And Bruce, of course. So everything will be fine. You just get better."

"Fine, kiddo," he sighs.

"Can I ask what's going on?" Loki asks, looking between us.

"Emma can tell you, I don't mind. Just do it when I'm not in the room," my father answers, moving to go back to his room.

"Are you going to pack?" I ask, before he can leave completely.

"Please, Emma, it's like you don't know me at all. Since Pepper's making me go on a forced vacation, she can do it." He's smirking slightly.

I raise my eyebrows. "And it's like you don't know Pepper at all, Dad. Do you really want to go on a vacation with her while she's mad at you?"

His smirk falters. "I see your point," he says and disappears.

I turn back to Loki. "Now, where were we?"

He smirks slightly at me, before pulling me back in for a kiss.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"So how did it go?" Emma asks me. We're sitting on the couch in the living room. She still haven't told me what is causing her father to leave, but I suppose we will get to that later.

I evade her look. "How did what go?" I ask, pretending not to know what she's talking about.

Even though I'm not looking directly at her, I can see her roll her brown eyes. "Your visit to Asgard, Loki, what else?" There's a stern tilt to the teasing words.

"Fine," I answer, nodding at the words as they seem appropriate. When she keeps looking expectantly at me, I repeat, "It went fine."

She frowns shortly before smiling slightly. "Did you see Sleipnir?"

The memory of the long-awaited meeting makes me smile softly. "Yes."

She nudges me. "Did you tell him about me?"

"Yes," I answer. She looks at me excited, I smirk, "All the bad sides to you."

She frowns, "Hey! What are my bad sides?"

I chuckle at her pout. "For starters, your mood changes," I say, kissing her pout, "Then there's your humor ruining my cool image", I smile at her, watching her pout fade into a small smile. "Then, your hair being almost golden making the sun shine in my eyes," I brush my hand through her hair, looking her in the eyes. "There's also the way your eyes sparkle when you look at me, making me forget everything I had to say," I kiss her eyelids one after one, feeling her lashes flutter against my skin. "Have I said enough?"

She hums agreeing, her eyes opening again to look directly into mine. "Do you miss him?"

I groan. "Emma, we were having a moment, how can you bring something sad up, just like that?"

She chuckles softly. "I'm sorry; I'll take that as a yes then. Should I make something Asgardian for dinner?" she ponders.

I freeze, really wishing she wouldn't do that. I don't want Asgardian. I don't want those memories. Because the truth is the trip didn't go well; I wasn't happy. Sure, it was nice seeing Sleipnir and I finally had a good conversation with my parents, but the rest was horrible. It's bad memories, with a few good ones added into the mixture. I know I have to go back, I just hope I can escape the people and only see my family.

It doesn't seem like she noticed my short state of fear, though, luckily. "I'd rather not, Emma. I'd rather have your favorite," I say, hoping not to get further questions as to why. Emma's curious by nature, though.

"Why not? Don't you think I can make it properly?" she asks teasingly, challenge ready on her tongue.

I quickly shake my head and say, "Not at all, Emma, I just don't feel like it," ignoring the way she tilts her head confused at my sudden mood change.

"Okay then," she says then, mood dampened a bit but determined to change the subject. "Do you want to know why my father's leaving?" She smiles questioningly at me.

I hum agreeing and take her hand in mine.

"Okay, so apparently my father hasn't been sleeping properly, he's been stressed. I think he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, because of everything that's happened." She frowns slightly, obviously not happy that her father isn't doing well.

"I'm sorry," I say softly, honestly feeling at fault.

She looks directly at me at this. "It's not your fault, Loki. Honestly it was bound to happen sometime."

I shake my head. "Technically it was…" I start, but she interrupts me firmly.

"Technically, Loki, it wasn't your fault. I'm pretty sure this has been building up and the icing on top was that nuke, he had to throw into the void. So, not your fault." She challenges me to disagree with her silently, but I don't, understanding the point she's making. Besides I also understand why she feels the need to forget that I had _anything_ to do with it.

"Okay, Emma," I squeeze her hand. "But I'm still sorry," I hold up my free hand when she looks like she's about to interrupt, "Not because it was my fault, but because he doesn't deserve it."

She smiles at me. "Thank you, Loki, that's nice of you to say."

I smile back.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"You haven't had burgers yet, have you?" I ask, trying to figure out what to make for dinner.

He just stares at me, looking like he isn't really here, so I shake my head, deciding to make burgers. It's easy anyways. I just have to make the buns.

When I've finished taking out the ingredients, Loki is still sitting there, staring at nothing. "Loki?" I ask tentatively. I wait for the grand amount of twenty-three seconds before waving a hand in front of his face. "Loki?"

This time he blinks, turning his eyes towards me. "Are you sure everything went fine on Asgard?" I ask.

"Of course, I'm sure," he replies, sounding like I'd have no reason to even suspect that things went worse than perfect.

I frown. "And are you okay?" I can't help but think that there's something he's not telling me, something he's hiding. And I don't like it. I don't like it at all.

"Yes, Emma," he chuckles softly, still acting like nothing could be wrong, but still I cannot help but think that there's something off about his voice, about his smile.

"Okay then," I say hesitantly. "Do you mind helping me?" He seems to be drifting off again, so I exclaim, "Loki!" sending him a concerned look. I don't ask, though, I know what kind of answer I would get.

He stands then, sending me a look, "Of course, I'll help, Emma."

I shake the feeling off of me while we're working. At least he stays focused the entire time.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

I try to relax while I'm helping Emma, but it's hard. Hard when all I can hear is _You're worthless_ , hard when she's looking at me like there's something wrong, hard when I can't escape Asgard even when I'm not there.

"Can you hand me the flour?" Emma asks me. I do it without responding, the action being an answer in itself.

A minute later she asks me to mix the batter, so I do that. All while I'm thinking whether or not my tormenters' words are true.

Am I worthless? I guess I am, since I have no magic. But I'm going to get it back, so I'm not completely worthless, I guess, since I still have that potential. It's sad, really, that I'm defined by my magic; Why can't I do anything else? What does Emma see in me? I wouldn't be able to protect her like this. I can barely help her cook. I can barely do anything. Maybe I _am_ worthless. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance.

By the time Emma's forming the buns, I'm basically just standing around doing nothing. I guess she notices it, cause she says, "You can sit down, you know, Loki."

I glance at her, and then sit down at the counter table. Content just watching her.

"Are you just doing everything she asks you to?" it suddenly sounds from behind us. I recognize the voice as belonging to Clint, and so I assume he means it as a joke, as something friends do. If what I know about being friends is true, that is.

But still I turn around to look at him, looking him over, checking if I'm being mocked. I'm not, it looks like. He has a carefree smirk on his face, teasing not mocking. And so I retaliate in what I think to be the same form of humor.

"Just as you do what Natasha asks."

His eyes widen for a split second at the first name, still not quite used to the whole "being friends"-deal; the same as me it seems. I notice, because that's what I do; especially since I have just acquired their friendship and still don't quite know what to do with it.

Then he grins lazily and shrugs. "She only asks if it's important. And I value my life."

Emma chuckles behind me at his response, which makes my own smile form.

"A shame," I remark, now smirking teasingly. It seems I've acquired his friendship for real now, when he laughs loudly and moves from the couch he was perching on to the chair next to mine.

He claps me on my shoulder. "For you maybe. I quite like living."

I don't say anything in response, just turn back towards Emma, since he's now sitting next to me. He seems to take this, correctly I might add, to be the end of the conversation.

"What are you making?" he instead asks Emma, who's just finishing up the buns to put them in the oven (I'm guessing).

"Burgers," she answers, without turning to look at him. She's putting the plate in the oven (I was right), and then turns around. "Do you know if my father has left yet?"

I glance at Clint to see him frown slightly before answering. "Don't you think he'll say goodbye, before he takes off?"

Emma shrugs, smiling slightly. "You never know. He doesn't always." Then she turns her head towards the ceiling, almost a habit, I think. "JARVIS, has my father left yet?"

"No, Miss Stark. Sir is still in the building. He is packing," the answer sounds.

She nods slightly at the answer and then looks at the time. "Pepper should be here soon, I think. She doesn't like flying in the evening." It's almost as if she's talking to herself, but I know she means for us to hear it. She's biting her lip, "Maybe I should go help him." Once again she's almost mumbling.

Clint clears his throat, making her look at him. "I think he could need the help, and the company."

I notice the grateful look she sends him, if only because I'm watching her closely. "Yeah, he isn't a very good packer. Just throws his stuff in there," she chuckles slightly, already moving towards her father's room. She stops though, to look at me, as if she just now remembered I was here. She doesn't say anything, just looks at me shortly to check if I'm okay, I guess. I smile at her, and she leaves for the room.

* * *

After eating dinner, the burgers were surprisingly good, Emma decides that we should watch a movie. I'm pretty sure it's part of her "integrate Loki in Midgardian culture"-project, so naturally I'm alright with it. She somehow manages to get the others talked into it, too. Her father left before dinner, so it's the two of us, Clint, Natasha and Bruce.

By some coincidence I end up sitting down, before anyone else has sat down, which means that Emma doesn't sit next to me. She's sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Come sit here, Loki," she calls, beckoning me to join her. To be honest I would prefer sitting next to her, opposed to sitting with Clint, so I stand.

"Come on, Loki, you're really just doing what she tells you to? You have to think for yourself once in a while," Clint laughs teasingly.

"Haven't we already had this conversation once today?" I ask tiredly. Tired of this subject, tired of being questioned, tired of the questions that particular question forms.

 _You're worthless._

"Yeah, but you didn't change, so…" he laughs. I sigh.

"That's because he's whipped." Of course Natasha joins in then, sitting herself down on the seat I just left. I'm still standing between my former seat and Emma.

At her sentence, I frown though. "She's not whipping me."

Clint laughs. "Not literally, she's not."

"It just means she's got you wrapped around her finger," Natasha teases.

I can't help but frown at the inaccuracy of the statement; I refuse to see the way that might actually be partly true.

The problem is that if that's true, doesn't it then also indicate that I'm not able to stand up for myself? Am I just doing what she tells me to do? _Am_ I not thinking for myself? Is she depriving me of myself? Is she changing me in a way I have no control over?

 _You're worthless._

"I'm not!" I end up saying it angrier than I really mean it; unconsciously answering both statements.

"Yes, you are," Clint says. He's still teasing, but in my annoyed state it sounds more mocking that it probably is.

"I am a _god_! I do not obey simple humans!" I grit out between clenched teeth.

"Watch your words, Loki," Clint says, eyes glinting, grin disappearing.

" _You_ will not tell me what to do! You are but a little human talking to a god!"

"Maybe we should all calm down." Bruce joins the argument for the first time then, voice eerily calm. It's clear to me that he's talking mostly to me, though, and that's why when he places a hand on my shoulder, he ends up on the floor.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"She's not whipping me," Loki says, clearly confused. I chuckle softly, and it just grows with Clint's answer.

"Not literally, she's not." I don't miss the glint in his eyes, the laugh in his voice. I'm happy they seem to be becoming friends. Strangely, that means a lot to me.

Finally Natasha explains the sentence to him, "It just means she's got you wrapped around her finger."

Only because I'm watching him closely, do I notice the discomfort on his face. The way he seems to be almost arguing with himself. He's starting to look real annoyed, which I guess is fair enough. His yell still rises my concern though. "I'm not!" I frown; they're still just teasing him, but it seems he doesn't think it's funny.

"Yes, you are," Clint teases. I close my eyes, when I see Loki taking a deep breath. _Stop now, before it's too late_ ; I pray for them all to just stop. Because it's not funny, not anymore.

"I am a _god_! I do not obey simple humans!" I must admit, his yell does hurt a bit, but I stay silent since I know he's just annoyed and tired and, probably, doesn't mean it.

I'm not sure Clint has the same understanding of Loki, that I do, though. He's suddenly completely serious. "Watch your words, Loki."

I'm about to stand to stop them, when Loki retorts angrily again. His lips are pressed firmly together and he's visibly shaking of rage.

" _You_ will not tell me what to do! You are but a little human talking to a god!"

I really don't know what's happening. It started off as a friendly teasing, why did it end up like this? It's been some time since I last saw him this angry, so out of control. But underneath the anger, I can also see how exhausted he looks.

I don't know if I send Bruce a look, or he just decides to stop them, before they start fighting; no matter why, he says, "Maybe we should all calm down," and places a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki doesn't waste any time, but immediately pushes him off of him. Successfully pushing him to the floor.

Clint and Natasha looks completely ready to stop him in mere seconds, so I stand up, no longer able to sit silently. The worst thing that could happen now, is if they start fighting. Thankfully, Bruce seems to have himself under control, there's no sign of the other guy. But still, what Loki did was not okay.

"Okay, what is wrong with you, Loki?! You've been weird since you came back, but you said everything went well. What is going on?" I finally explode when he pushes Bruce, honestly I just assumed they would be able to work it out themselves, that it wouldn't come to this. I don't even understand why, since Bruce really didn't do anything, but I guess Bruce is the one he likes the least.

For some reason Loki kind of looks shocked by his own action, too. Instead of answering he grabs my wrist and pulls me towards his room.

I sigh. "Loki, what are you doing? Please just tell me what's going on."

"I wasn't being completely honest with you when I said everything was good," he says once we're inside his room.

I raise an eyebrow. "Okaaay. I think I'm kind of getting that, Loki," I say firmly, slowly, still with raised eyebrows.

He frowns. "You're not angry?"

"Oh, I'm angry alright. So tell me the truth, _please_!" I force the words out through gritted teeth.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"You're not angry?" I ask confused because of her tone. Confused because she didn't start yelling at me the moment I said I lied.

"Oh, I'm angry alright. So tell me the truth, _please_!" She's enunciating every word so clearly it becomes obvious that her words are true. Also the anger is clearly visible in her eyes, barely restrained by her need to know the truth. I don't know why I missed that before.

I know she wants the truth and she's angry with me because I lied, so this is a bad idea, a very bad idea in fact. But I just can't tell her what happened, that everyone hates me, how they kicked me. It's not even because it's embarrassing, though that is a small part of it, it's because I'm not worthy of her. I'm not good enough and _this_ , this just makes me weak as well. So clearly I can't tell her.

"It's Odin," I start and as soon as I say it, I know there's no turning back now.

She frowns at me, slowly directing her anger away from me and towards someone else. "What about Odin?"

I fake a broken sigh, feeling disgusted by myself whilst doing it. "I thought I was ready to forgive him, let him be my father again. But…" Here I pause for dramatic effect; no one can say I don't know how to present my story. The pause works though, cause Emma now looks at me with a sad look in her eye, her anger now completely directed towards my father instead of me. I clear my throat. "But he told me he was embarrassed of me, that I wasn't worthy of being his son anymore," here I choke, imagining that this was really true, "that I was only a monster to him, that I could never prove myself to him." I let my guard slip down at the end, releasing the sadness I feel, not for the words Odin never said, but for the fact that I said them to Emma.

"He said _what_ to you?!" She's so angry, I actually get scared when I look at her. Her hands are tightened into fists and I can almost _see_ anger pouring out of her. "That guy seriously! And here I've been trying to get you to see eye to eye with him. I'm sorry, Loki. I didn't think he was that horrible." She turns an apologizing face at me, pout obvious on her face.

I can feel guilt curling in my stomach, as I say, "It's not your fault, you didn't know," and let her hug me, while she's whispering "sorry" to me over and over again. I only feel terrible.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

I feel so terrible, not that I think I've done anything horribly wrong. But here I've been trying to make Loki see Odin as his father again. And then something like this happens?! I can't even begin to comprehend what Odin thinks he's doing, why he thinks he has the right to treat Loki like this.

I can't help but hug him close to me. Feeling like I should apologize for the horrible guy who should be his father. "I'm so sorry." I hug him for what seems like hours, but when I feel his grip on me loosen, I let go to look properly at him.

There's a heavy feeling in his green eyes I can't quite pinpoint, but it looks like sorrow. "Are you okay, Loki?" I ask, feeling like it's a stupid question.

He shrugs, offering me a small smile. "I will be."

I hesitantly smile back to him. "Okay. Do you think we should join the others?"

He smirks then. "We better, before they come barging in here."

I chuckle softly. "Not getting any 'ideas'?" I wink at him teasingly, while I stand from my seat on his bed. As I turn my head I see something black out of the corner of my eye. But when I turn to look at it, I come facing the window, so I assume my eye just caught sight of a bird outside the window.

* * *

"You know, it's the first evening without your father, Emma, and it's already going differently than he would like," is the first thing Nat says when we step back in the living room.

I sigh. "It's not like that, Nat. Come on. It's gonna be fine."

Loki walks directly to Bruce. "I'm sorry," he says, "I shouldn't have pushed you. That was very… childish of me." I smile at the sight, and I can tell Bruce appreciates the gesture too.

"That's okay, Loki," is all he says though. But then he's sitting back down on the couch, and suddenly everyone's relaxing again.

I smile. We really will be alright. I just hope my father will be too.

* * *

 **Did you like the chapter? I really like reading your comments, so please comment; if there's anything not making sense or something you'd like to see, then please tell me. It might be possible to add :D Thank you to everyone favouriting and following, please continue to do so!**

 **And just a little advertisement, I guess. Do any of you like kpop? If you do, and you like reading fanfiction about it, then my sister has written this amazing fanfiction revolving EXO and SHINee. It's a family!AU with other kpop artist as their children, which means lots of fluff ^^ So if you enjoy that sort of thing, please check it out! It's on AFF under the name of "How I Met Your Appa" by WhiteWolfWhisper. I hope some of you might like it, I personally love it 3**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! It's been a long time! But here is the next chapter finally!**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and most of the plotline.**

 **Enjoy! 3**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Amusement Park Fun**

(Loki's POV)

"What are you doing?" I ask confused.

"Cheering you up," she exclaims, grinning. I frown, not understanding why cheering me up means dragging me down to her father's cars.

"Are we going somewhere?" I ask then, choosing to follow her instead of being dragged.

"Yes!" she grins.

When she continues smiling at me, without explaining further, I sigh and say, "You're not going to tell me where, are you?" As I say it I can't help smile slightly.

She only shakes her head at my question, before placing herself on the driver's seat. I go to the other side of the car to sit down.

"Fine then," I say, trusting her.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"What is this?" Loki asks, looking confused. He looks overwhelmed by all the people, all the color, all the noise.

"An amusement park!" I'm possibly beaming as I look at him, I know. But I really love amusement parks.

Loki doesn't look impressed, though. "Am I supposed to be amused then?" He raises an eyebrow.

I chuckle. "No, but you will be. I'm tired of you moping around. I'll make you forget about Odin and Asgard. Come on!" And by that I drag him with me to the ticket booth, buying us a ticket each.

"What do you want to try first?" I ask him once we're inside.

He shrugs. "You know I've never been to an amusement park before, right Emma?"

"Yeah, I know. But you might have an opinion anyway." I shrug, still smiling. "No?" I say, when he's just sighing, though I see the way his eyes are shining. "Okay then, I somehow don't think the wild rides are going to be a problem for you, so let's try a rollercoaster!"

* * *

"I've flown in a wagon drawn by goats steered by Thor more than a hundred times, and I'm supposed to find this wild?" Loki says, raising an eyebrow elegantly. We're standing close to the line to the rollercoaster, looking up at the ride and the people screaming on it.

I chuckle. "More than a hundred times?" He continues staring, though I can see a smile beginning to bloom in the corner of his mouth. "You don't have to think it's wild to enjoy it, though, Loki."

"Fine," he says and I smile and move to stand in the line. But before I can move, Loki grabs my hand. I look questioning at him. "You said I should enjoy myself." He smiles and tugs me along to the line. I smile to myself, hopefully this will make him happy again.

"What are you smiling about?" he teases as I stand next to him.

"You," I answer.

"I didn't know you were so sappy, Emma," he smirks.

I laugh, "Come on, we both know you like it."

"Do we?" he challenges. I nod enthusiastically and pull him into a kiss, which we have to break to move forward in the line. "I guess you're right." I smirk at him teasingly.

"Of course I am."

Before we know it we're at the front of the line, being let on the rollercoaster.

"Ready?" I ask him, when we've both been strapped in properly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he challenges again. This time I only grab his hand as a response.

* * *

After the rollercoaster, which we rode four times because we both loved it, we ride the bumper cars, which are funny, but much more my type of fun than Loki's. We have just tried the drop tower, which, again, we both like a lot, so we try that a few times too. Now we're in the line to the Ferris wheel, once again engaged in a heated kiss.

"You do know Clint and Natasha are following us, right?" Loki asks me, after we break apart.

I widen my eyes. "Umm no, they're following us?" He nods. I frown, "Hmm, I should have guessed they would." But then I smirk, "You want to tease them?"

Loki chuckle. "Always. What did you have in mind?" His arms are wrapping me in a loose hug as we speak.

"What about we sneak behind them instead? Where are they watching from?"

"Natasha's behind that hotdog stall to my left. Clint's on top of the stall next to it. He's hiding behind the sign. Don't look."

I smile. "Think we can escape them?"

Loki smirks. "Of course. On three?"

I nod and grab his hand. "One."

"Two."

"Three," I say and we step out of the line to push into the big crowd surrounding the ride, quickly turning a corner. We're mixing between the people, turning corners so fast I lose every sense of direction. Luckily Loki seems to have it completely under control, like he's done this before, which I'm sure he has. It almost seems like he's been here a thousand times before, like he knows the exact layout of the park; of course I know he hasn't, though.

I'm also pretty sure that even though Loki's busy navigating us between the people, turning corners and going down alleys, he's also keeping track of our stalkers. I let myself be led and then suddenly I see Natasha's telltale red hair in front of us.

We come to a stop, still a few meters behind Natasha. Loki pulls me behind a stall, from which we can observe her from.

She's looking around, clearly observing, then she taps her ear twice, to turn her talking device on I'm sure.

"I lost sight of the target. Do you copy?" she says, still standing with her back towards us. Clint's answer must have annoyed her, cause she sounds frustrated when she responds. "We cannot let them get away. We have to find them. Keep a look out." While she speaks, I move forward with Loki behind me. I still don't know where Clint is, but I assume he's at another part of the park, trying to find us.

"You know, it's not very nice to stalk other people," I say when I'm standing right behind her, right after she's finished speaking. She whips around before I can even blink. And then she's hitting my shoulder. I frown confused and raise my eyebrow at her.

"Tell me Loki didn't use any magic to hide you!" she says then.

I glance at Loki, exchanging a look. "Um, he didn't; he can't, remember? Why did you punch me?"

She sighs. "It's our job to keep you safe, Emma. You can't just go running off!"

I shrug. "Okaaay. The next time you can just ask to join us, you know. You don't have to stalk us; it's creepy."

Natasha just looks at me for a long moment, long enough that I get uncomfortable, and then she says, "We assumed you wouldn't want us crashing your date."

"Oh." I blush slightly, rubbing my nape embarrassed.

"You did end up crashing, though," Loki says then. "You really thought we wouldn't notice you?"

Natasha only shrugs, changing the subject by tapping her microphone to let Clint know where we are.

"Should we go try the Ferris wheel then?" I ask, directing the question at both Loki and Natasha. Loki nods and grabs my hand again. "Are you joining us?" I ask Natasha when she doesn't answer.

"We'll be on the ground," she answers and gestures for us to start walking towards the ride. I roll my eyes teasingly at Loki, before we begin to walk.

"Okay then. But you're welcome to join us," I smile. She gives a small smile in response.

* * *

"You'd think Clint would want to come up here," I chuckle, when we're sitting on the Ferris wheel, Loki's arm wrapped around my shoulder.

Loki hums in agreement, before kissing my forehead. "I'm glad he didn't, though."

I look at him questioning.

"I don't like being watched when I kiss you," he says then, leaning forward.

I smile before closing the gap between us. It's funny though, as soon as he said that I suddenly became aware of the strange feeling of being watched. But we're too high up for them to be able to watch us closely from the ground, and they promised they would just wait down there.

We break the kiss to look out at the view. I still have a weird feeling of someone watching me, watching us, so I glance at the passengers in the other wagons, but they're all looking away from us. I then glance at the ground, but like they promised they're still standing there, not even looking upwards as far as I can see. The only thing I see when I look around, is a black bird flying a few meters away from the wheel. A crow maybe? It's not close enough for me to really see. For a second it looks like it stares straight at me, though. I blink, not understanding the creepy feeling I get.

"Are you okay?" I blink again and look at Loki at his question. He's looking worried at me.

I nod slightly, forcing a soft smile. "Yeah, sorry. The bird just freaked me out for some reason." I point in the general direction of the crow, or whatever it is.

"What bird?" When I look again the bird is gone. I don't know why it seems weird to me, it probably just flew away.

"It doesn't matter," I say, brushing it off. "Just forget about it."

He shrugs. "Okay, if you say so."

* * *

(Loki's POV)

I'm lying awake in the darkness, thinking of the day. I can honestly say I had a great day, something which I thought I wouldn't have for a while. But something in Emma continues to save my every day, so that I can even forget the lies I told her.

The thing is, the same thing in her that saves me, is the thing I want to be near at all times. I want to be with her. Because with her I forget the horrible things I've done. With her I forget everything and I need that. I also just need to be near her, for the sake of being near her. For the sake of the happiness she brings me.

When I move out of my room and silently walk through the living room to the hallway on the other side, where I can find Emma's room, I wonder if her father being away will actually mean that I can sleep in her room. The thought makes me smile.

It seems I won't be able to succeed though, cause when I reach the other side of the kitchen and dining room, I immediately notice Natasha sitting there. She's sitting casually on the floor, watching me carefully. When I step closer, she stands. It's not that her stance in itself is hostile, but I can feel that I'm not going to like the reason she's there.

"What're you doing here, Loki?" she asks then, still eyeing me.

I'm considering whether I should come up with a lie or just tell the truth. My guess is that she'll be able to tell that I'm lying, because I'm pretty sure she already knows what I'm doing here in the hallway outside of Emma's room. She just wants to know what I'll answer. So I go with the truth, well half the truth.

"I wanted to enter Emma's room," I say, and inwardly cringe at how awkward it sounds. Natasha shows no reaction.

"Why?" is her immediate soulless response.

"I just want to sleep next to her," I say, still sticking to the truth.

She looks calculating at me. "No," she says then.

"Yes," I try.

That only makes her shake her head amused. "Are you a child?"

I huff. "I'm a god, not a child."

That makes her laugh. "You're still not getting inside. Stark's orders."

 _What to do to make her give in?_ I pout softly, "I thought we were friends."

She's still amused. "We are, that's why I won't let you do anything stupid enough to get yourself killed."

She's being honest, I can tell; she'll never let me inside. I sigh softly and turn around.

"Good night," she offers, amusement still clear in her voice.

"Good night," I answer, not feeling anger towards her, not even resentment, instead it's a mix of lightness and happiness; what a strange thing to feel, but not unfamiliar. It's a feeling of friendship I realize, that's why there's no apparent resentment towards her. I understand her reason, but it was still worth the shot, I decide.

* * *

 **Did you like the chapter? Thank you for all the people commenting, favouriting and following, seriously it means a lot! So please continue to do so, especially continue to comment ^^ I'll really try to update quickly, but I won't make any promises (I'm afraid I won't be able to keep them). I'm afraid I'm really bad at this, I can't really update at a regular schedule since I haven't written the chapters in advance and I'm not very good at sitting down to write (I can't really turn on the inspiration at will sadly). I am in the middle of the next chapter though; my plan is to upload that and write most of the next chapter before I start school again. But again, no promises.**

 **Thank you so much for still being here, I hope the story isn't disappointing. See you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Yay a new chapter! I know it's been a bit longer than I said it would, but the chapter's slightly longer too, so I hope it's okay.**

 **I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the story plot.**

 **Edit: I just corrected a confusing Miami to Malibu as it should be :) Next chapter will come soon, for anyone waiting (and seeing this)!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Cuddles and 'fangirling'**

"I'm sorry," Loki says, when we're sitting on the couch after eating breakfast. Both Bruce, Nat and Clint have gone elsewhere, so it's just the two of us. We're talking casually together, when he suddenly blurts the words out.

I frown and look confused at him. "For what, Loki?" I don't recall him doing anything worth apologizing for in the last couple of days.

"You've been so good this week, trying to cheer me up. You've really comforted me, and I haven't even thought to ask you how you are," he says, looking me in the eyes; he looks concerned but I can't really figure out why. I'm still confused.

"Not that I don't love that you care about me, but why should you ask how I am?" I ask him.

"I should have asked, because your father is sick and left, and you've been so caught up in my drama, that I'd completely forgotten it," he explains.

My mouth falls slightly open at his explanation. I can't even begin to fathom how much he's changed. Here he is, actually _apologizing_ for not asking how I've been since my father left. His words don't sit all too well with me, though, because the truth is that I have been thinking about my father, trying to forget about it by focusing on Loki. And his words kind of make it seem worse than it is. Worse than I'd like to think it is, anyway.

"First off, he left to get better, which is good, and he's with Pepper, which is also good. Secondly, I want to know how you feel and I want to be 'caught up in your drama'; don't worry about it," I say, grabbing his hand and entwining our fingers. "And thirdly, thank you so much for asking me that question. Thank you so much for caring." I feel myself getting a bit emotional and try to swallow the feeling.

Loki seems to realize it, too, because he squeezes my hand slightly and kisses my temple. "I know he left to get better, and he's going to get better, I don't doubt that. You have a strong father, Emma, and he has a lot to return to." He smiles at me. "But you're still allowed to miss him, and if you need to be with him, I understand."

I widen my eyes; this I didn't see coming. "Oh no, Loki, I think my father would prefer it if I wasn't there actually; I think it might be easier for him to be alone with Pepper. I think he would hate that I saw him like that, he likes to pretend that he's invincible." I smile softly. "But I do miss him, of course I do. I know he's going to come home and be okay, that's what's keeping me up. To be honest it's easier for me to focus on you; that way I don't have to worry about him."

Loki pulls me into a warm hug, surprising me completely. He squeezes me close, letting me know that he's there for me, and honestly, I just feel safe in his arms. I close my eyes as I rest my head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. I feel a lump in my throat, feel the tears about to burst out of my eyes, but I push them back. I don't know how he does it, or how he knows, but right before my tears fall, he pulls back and kisses my forehead before smiling.

"I should get you something else to focus on then," he says, smirking the tiniest bit, and just like that, my tears and the lump in my throat are gone and I'm smiling back.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, tilting my head.

He stands up suddenly, still holding my hand. "I want to ask you out on a date," he says.

I chuckle. "Okay," I say, "Where are we going?"

"To the park," he decides and I stand from the couch. "We can make a picnic."

I raise an eyebrow. "You know what a picnic is? Not that it's not a good idea, just, isn't that kind of a new word?"

* * *

(Loki's POV)

I can feel her tremble slightly, giving me enough of a warning to pull back. I just know that I have to cheer her up, like she did for me, like I owe her.

I smirk a bit, "I should get you something else to focus on then."

I really appreciate everything she does for me. Who knew I'd find someone who would be there every day to cheer me up? I certainly wouldn't have guessed. Nor do I think I deserve it.

"What are you thinking?" she asks, her voice curious.

She does, however, deserve something for comforting me, for being here. That's why I say, "I want to ask you out on a date," whilst standing from the couch.

When my words make her chuckle I know I've made the right decision.

"Okay, where are we going?" she asks then, looking up at me, and that's got me thinking. Because I didn't exactly plan anything. I do remember Natasha's words, though.

 _"She'd probably like classic dates, like going out to eat, going to the movies, having a picnic, going bowling; stuff like that," Natasha says to my hesitant request for date ideas. I'm not exactly well-versed in Midgardian dating rituals. And to be honest, I really want Emma to have the best._

 _"I don't know what a picnic or bowling is, though," I say, trying not to seem too anxious about the prospect of doing something wrong._

 _Natasha laughs then. I frown slightly, but it doesn't seem like she's making fun of me, it sounds happier than that. "A picnic is when you pack some food and go to eat it at the park, sitting on a blanket or something like that. Bowling is a game, but I think you should stick to what you know. You can always ask her to take you bowling, if you're interested," she said._

"To the park," I say. "We can make a picnic."

I pull her up to me. "You know what a picnic is? Not that it's not a good idea, just, isn't that kind of a new word?"

I turn around, walking towards the kitchen. "Natasha told me." I quickly walk towards the fridge, going to pack for our picnic.

Emma stands by the couch for a few seconds, before I feel her catching up to me. She chuckles softly when she catches my arm, "You asked Natasha about dates?"

I groan playfully, ignoring her question, successfully making her laugh again.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"Should we just sit here?" I ask, pointing at the grass underneath a big maple tree. Funnily, there isn't a lot of people in the park today, not that it matters. Really, I think we both prefer to be alone.

Loki nods and hands me one corner of the blanket we brought, so we can spread it out evenly.

I sit down on it, smiling up at him, until he sits down next to me. I smile again when I think about how he apparently asked Natasha for date ideas; I like the fact that he seems to care about things like that.

"What are you smiling about?" Loki asks; he's opening the cooler bag which we brought, filled with, I hope, delicious food and drinks, since I wasn't allowed to see.

"You're just sweet," I smile, looking lovingly at him. He smiles back genuinely. "What did you bring?" I try to peak into the bag, but he denies me access by moving it behind him.

"I know this isn't going to be perfect, because I made it in five minutes, but I made this for us," he says then, revealing simple sandwiches.

I smile, moving to grab one. "It _is_ perfect, because you made it. Thank you, Loki!"

He smiles, too, clearly relieved, making me smile inwardly. "This is what you're supposed to eat at a picnic, right? I don't want you to pretend it's good if it's not."

I can't help but burst out laughing. "I'm not pretending, don't worry. Sandwiches is just right for a picnic."

"Stop teasing me!" Loki says, pretending to be angry, but his actions prove otherwise as he tugs me forward into a kiss.

The reason for the lack of people in the park is suddenly made very clear, when the sky opens and the rain starts pouring down. Before we've even properly realized what's going on, we're drenched.

"We should pack it up again," I say, starting to laugh as the reality sinks in. Loki starts laughing, too. We're both laughing as we stand to fold the blanket and put the sandwiches back in the cooler bag.

"Let's run," Loki says, his eyes twinkling as he grabs my hand and starts running. I follow closely behind him, my hand safely tugged in his, as we hurry home.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

"Where have you been?" Natasha asks immediately as we step inside of the living room, completely drenched from the rain.

We glance at each other, before we look back at Natasha. "Outside," Emma says, shrugging.

Natasha rolls her eyes, glancing at Clint with a head shake. "Obviously," she says. "If you get sick, no one is telling Stark."

Emma chuckles, "He won't hear about it from me." I smile inwardly at her response.

Emma looks at me then, "I'm going to take a hot shower. We can continue our date afterwards." She kisses my cheek softly, before moving to her room and bathroom. I follow her with my eyes, her wet shirt clinging to her back, till she disappears from my sight.

"You should probably take a shower too, Loki," Natasha says, glancing me over. I shrug in response, moving towards my own room.

Clint chuckles by the couch. "And you might want to make that a cold shower."

I turn around to glare at him, only to find him laughing. I shake my head slightly, and move towards my room again.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

I can't quite believe that Loki has changed so much. Or maybe he's just changed back to who he was before he was told the truth of his parentage. I'd like to believe that. That he was once like this; nice and caring.

It's weird to think maybe, but I can't help but picture a life with Loki when he's like this. It's far out in the future, if it even has a future but I refuse to go down that road, but still it's a nice thought. I'm not sure what my father would think though. And his father; I scowl slightly at the thought. I wonder if we continued this relationship if I'd be able to visit his home with him, Asgard I mean. I kind of want to; to see the place I've read of in the myths, but most importantly to see the place where Loki grew up. Maybe Loki wouldn't want me to, though.

To be honest, I like sassy smirking Loki a lot, when he's not killing people of course, but I might like caring smiling Loki even more. I think he is both, and he still is, and I want him to continue to be both. I just want him to be himself actually. The guy controlled by Thanos killing hundreds of people, was never him. It was his actions, of course, but not _him_. At least I don't think so, and he's proving more and more that I'm right. Anyway, I like this Loki a lot, I might even love him.

I shake my head at myself. Love is a big word, I shouldn't just throw it out; I'll wait and see. I don't know if I love him yet, but I am _in_ love with him.

As I step out of the shower I immediately notice the black bird outside the window. I wrap the towel around me, and step closer to the window to look closer at it. It's definitely a raven; I briefly wonder if it's the same bird I saw in the amusement park, but quickly dismiss the thought, cause how could it be? It screeches suddenly, making me squeak in surprise as I step back. Its gaze seems to be piercing me, like it can look right through me and see all of my thoughts and feelings. It keeps screeching, though, so I quickly backtrack out of the bathroom, feeling quite creeped out by the bird.

I get dressed quickly in comfy clothes, moving to the living room to meet up with Loki.

"What now?" Loki says, when he steps into the room, immediately sitting down on the couch.

"Now," I say, grabbing his hand. "I show you the home theater, so we can watch a movie."

"I can't believe you haven't made me watch a movie yet, actually," Loki says, smirking, "The day is finally here."

I smack his arm with a huff. "I'm not that bad," I say, a small whine making its way to my voice.

"Of course not," Loki says, throwing his arm around me with a grin.

Once we've taken the elevator to the right floor, we move down the hallway until we reach the door at the end. I open it to reveal a large home theater with comfortable couches, dim lighting and a large television.

"What are we watching?" Loki asks, sitting down on a couch in front of the screen. I sit down next to him, getting comfortable as I put my legs up and snuggle close to him.

"Harry Potter?" I offer, shrugging slightly, not really caring as long as I get to cuddle him.

Loki shrugs in response, "I guess I have been wanting to get to know that story."

I perk up a bit at his words. "You can borrow my books, too, you know. The books are better."

He smiles softly at me. "I might take you up on that offer. For now, let's just watch it."

I smile back. "Jarvis?" I say, turning my head slightly.

"Already on it, Miss Stark," the calm voice says.

"Thank you," I say as the screen erupts in color and the familiar tune begins. I cuddle closer to Loki when the movie begins properly.

* * *

"Doesn't he have a wolf skin? How does he transform into a wolf?" Loki asks, as we're watching the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It's the last movie we're going to watch for now, even though we have fetched the food Loki made, and also made a supply of snacks. Watching three movies in a row is still kind of tiring. Also, Loki has a lot of questions, and I mean a _lot_ of questions; concerning the magic and pretty much everything. Which is completely fair, I know, but a bit tiring for me, when I was just expecting to cuddle comfortably.

"He's a werewolf, so he just transforms 'naturally' when there's a full moon," I explain. "Why would he have a wolf skin?"

"As far as I know you need to wear the wolf skin to transform, then you're a wolf for nine days and nights, and on the tenth night you'll become yourself again," Loki explains.

I pause for a second to ponder the thought. "Well, I guess this is just another type of werewolf then."

Loki nods. "This reminds me, though."

"Of what?" I ask curiously.

"The goblins at the bank, aren't they just dwarves?" he asks.

I frown. "I guess… I don't know…"

"I think they're similar," he says then. I just nod and un-pause the movie.

* * *

"Hey Pepper," I say on the phone, having called to check up on my dad. She replies, sounding happy. I smile; that must mean it's going well.

"The House point hourglasses weren't in the movies, were they?" I hear Loki ask me from the couch. I ignore him though, waving him off to continue talking to Pepper.

"How're you doing in Malibu?" I ask, turning slightly away from Loki to focus on Pepper.

"We're doing okay, Emma," she answers. "Your dad's doing a bit better, though he still refuses to see a psychologist." I can practically see her shake her head at the words.

I chuckle softly. "I didn't expect him to, to be completely honest." I bite my lip slightly, "Can I talk to him?"

There's a silence on the other end, making me say, "It's okay if he doesn't want to, I…"

"Of course he wants to, Emma, I was just calling him," Pepper says, laughing a bit. "He misses you a lot, you know, just didn't want to bother you." I smile, I've missed him a lot, too. "He's here now, bye Emma."

"Bye, Pepper."

"Hi, Em!" my father says happily.

"Hi, dad!"

"How's it going?" my father asks.

I chuckle. "I should be asking you that, Dad." He stays silent, so I continue, "It's going fine. We're all fine, though I'm sure you're in contact with Natasha, Clint and Bruce, so you already know that."

My father huffs. "They only tell me if something's wrong. Besides, no matter what they think, they don't know everything." I laugh; I can practically see him roll his eyes teasingly. "What have you been doing, Em?"

"Hmm," I hum, trying to think of what I've actually been doing since he left almost a week ago. "I took Loki to an amusement park, where Natasha and Clint followed us, of course; I'm sure you told them to do that."

My father chuckles. "Kind of, yeah," he answers. "That sounds fun, Em. You both enjoyed it?"

I hum in affirmative. "Yeah, it was great. We had fun." We continue talking about what I've been up to; the amusement park, the 'failed' picnic and so on. But only of my life, not his; I'm determined to get into that later though.

"I feel like the ghosts appear more in the book, than they did in the movies," Loki says, interrupting my conversation. "I like Peeves."

"Hold on a sec, Dad, Loki's saying something," I say, before turning to Loki. "What did you say?"

Loki looks at me, "Nothing important. Just continue talking with your father."

I roll my eyes teasingly at him, and sit down on the couch to continue talking more comfortably. "Sorry, Dad, it wasn't important."

"That's okay, sweetheart," my father says. "What's he doing?"

"Oh, he's reading Harry Potter," I say, and then the conversation continues for at least half an hour.

"Of course we didn't get sick, Dad, we were careful," I say. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

I can tell he doesn't really want to answer by his delayed answer, but I want to know.

"I'm doing okay, Em', I swear. I'm sleeping and everything," he says finally.

I sigh in relief. "That's good." I bite my lips softly, before asking, "So, why don't you want to see a psychologist then?"

"Because I don't need to," comes the answer.

"Daaad!" I groan. "It can't make it worse."

"It might not make me better either, Emma."

I shake my head. "No, but it might, Dad." He's about to say something, deny it probably, so I cut him off, "Listen, Dad, what if it did? Then you'd be able to come home much sooner. Wouldn't it be worth it?"

I can hear my dad sigh on the phone. "Fine, Em', I'll consider it, I promise."

I beam. "Good, I'm glad, Dad."

"Hermione's pretty smart," Loki says then, looking up at me. I roll my eyes for the nth time this phone call.

"Um, Dad, I think I might have to go. Loki wants to talk and I might have to make dinner soon, too."

My father hums. "Okay, Em'. I love you and take care! I'll call again soon."

"I love you, too, Dad. And you to. Talk to you later!" Then we hang up.

I turn to Loki. "What?" I ask him teasingly.

"I like Hermione," he says, "She's tough."

I laugh and move closer to him, so that he can put his arm around me. "Yeah? I like Hermione, too. What part did you reach?"

"Oh, I finished this," Loki says then, making me frown at him. He doesn't notice my slightly confused look though, and just continues to talk, "Honestly, Harry and Ron wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for her. She lied to the professors about the troll, so they didn't get in trouble; she put Snape's robes on fire, so Harry wouldn't get hurt on the broom; she solved the potion riddle. And this is only the first book!"

"I'm glad you're so excited about it," I laugh. "And you're right, she gets so much cooler further into the books."

"Maybe I should continue reading now, then," Loki suggests, already moving to go to my room to get the book. I laugh, finding it hard to really be angry with him for leaving.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

Finally, we're continuing the Harry Potter movies. I must say, if I'd known they were going to be this good, I would have asked to watch (and read) them a long time ago.

Emma was right, though, Hermione definitely got even more tough and bright in the next books. I'm sad that some of her cool moments wasn't in the movies, though. The fact that she stood next to Harry to protect Sirius by the lake when all the dementors arrived, without even knowing the charm to shun them, is amazing. And that's really just part of it.

I think it's a good idea to watch the movies first, though, because then I get positively surprised when reading the books, instead of disappointed when watching the movies.

We've made it into the second half, I think, of the fourth movie (Harry has just jumped into the lake with the other contestants), when Steve enters the room.

Emma and I are both cuddled up on the couch, completely engaged with the movie. It's only when Steve clears his throat that we both look up and Emma pauses the movie.

"Steve!" Emma exclaims and stands from the couch to hug him.

I can tell that Steve is grinning, though when he looks at me it's with a slightly more warning look. I hesitantly give him a small smile, purposely not doing anything that might anger him, before I know why he's back.

"Why are you back already? Did you have a good trip? I'm so happy to see you," Emma exclaims, the words rushing out of her mouth.

Steve smiles at her. "I realized home is best," he simply answers, but then shrugs and adds, "And I met Tony in Miami, saying he'd left the rest of you here alone."

Judging from the small shake of her head, she rolls her eyes. "We're fine, you know, it's not like we're alone."

"Of course," he says, before holding both hands up. "Forget it, I just wanted to let you know I'm here." I can't help but see his words as a threat, especially when he glances at me shortly at the last words. I'm sure Emma didn't notice though, too busy being happy. I smile at her enthusiasm, refusing to think about the words until he mentions it again.

Steve turns to leave the room, and that's Emma's clue to hurry back next to me, beaming as she tugs herself under my arm and un-pauses the movie.

* * *

 **Did you like it? I love reading your comments, so please review ^^ Thank you to everyone favouriting and following, I hope you still enjoy the story! Till the next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! It's been such a long time since I've posted anything, I'm so sorry! Is anyone even still here? I don't know, but I hope some of you have stayed; that would make me happy!**

 **I still don't own anything, but Emma and the storyline of course.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Honesty**

I'm falling asleep, I can feel it. My eyes are getting heavier but I'm trying to keep them open. It might have something to do with the fact that I've watched this movie before. We've reached the sixth Harry Potter movie and we've opted to watch it in the living room, since we were already lounging on the couch after breakfast. But for some reason I just can't seem to keep my eyes open. 'Half-Blood Prince' is actually one of my favorites of the series, and I've been looking forward to watching it with Loki. Maybe it's just because I'm so comfortable in Loki's arms, resting against his chest between his legs. It's warm and safe, and frankly makes me doze off a little bit.

It's when Hermione is identifying the smell of Amortentia (and I find myself wondering if I would smell the fresh fragrance of mint with just a hint of freshly cut grass; a scent that is distinctively Loki) that I see the black wing from the corner of my eye. I turn my head slightly, watching a black bird just outside the window. I frown at the sight, blinking and then it's gone.

"Did you see that, Loki?" I ask, making him pause the movie.

"See what?" he asks, a trace of curiosity crossing his face.

"The black bird. I think it might be a raven," I say, slightly embarrassed to bring it up.

Something flickers across his face, but it's too quick for me to decipher what it was. "No. Are you sure it was a raven, Emma? It might just be a crow."

"I guess I'm not sure. I saw a raven yesterday, though, maybe it's the same."

He makes a small shrug.

I shake my head, unable to stop a yawn. "Whatever. It doesn't matter, it's just a bird, forget it," I say, getting comfortable against Loki again.

It takes him a few seconds, but then his arm wraps around me while his other hand un-pauses the movie before I'm hugged by both of his arms. He kisses my head, before turning his attention towards the movie again.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

It takes Steve precisely 25 hours and 17 minutes to bring it up again. I know, because I was waiting for it. Waiting for the conversation to turn back to him warning me of hurting Emma. He goes about it in a sneakier way than I'd thought, though. It's only because I purposely force it out of him, that he says anything directly.

Instead he fumbles around, trying to act nice towards me, while I pretend to not know what he's really doing.

It starts at dinner Sunday, the day he arrived. He repeats his former words of 'just wanted to let you know I'm here' in pretense caring. I roll my eyes. The whole 'Just let me know if there's _anything_ you want to talk about' and 'I'm right here' spiel is getting on my nerves. _Might be news for you, Rogers_ , the voice inside my head grumbles, _but you're_ not _her father!_ It's one thing to have her father breathing down my neck, waiting to throw me out if I do even the slightest thing wrong. But now I have the Soldier from the Past to watch out for, too?!

Of course, I'm only semi-upset. I care for Emma, far more than I should admit. And this is supposedly the family that comes along with her. They all want what's best for her; as do I. They're nice, sort of. Her father isn't so bad, neither is his girlfriend. The agents have become my friends one way or another. And Bruce is nice enough to be around when he isn't green. It's only the Captain that can't seem to calm down.

I understand the need to protect someone you care about from someone you believe is bad for them. So, if he'd just be honest about it, it'd help a whole lot. Instead of pretending to be nice, it would be nicer, for me, if he could just threaten me the way he obviously wants to. Just get it out in the open, and then we can play nice.

And that is exactly why I decide to, in lack of a better word, poke him a bit. Like he's a sleeping bear that I need to make roar, so I can stop waiting for the upcoming storm.

At breakfast the next day he's speaking again, repeating his former glare at me, when he offers Emma his help wiping the dishes since he's here. _Is the man actually serious?! Get on with it!_ my mind yells at his very obvious dislike of me.

I smirk slightly, and stands. "No need, Steve, I've been here for a while, might as well help out a bit."

Emma unknowingly helps me make Steve's glare darker, when she smiles and tugs me closer to her. She kisses my cheek for helping and starts chatting about everyday stuff; how she wants to work out soon and maybe we could train together. I grin at her, before grabbing a towel to wipe the clean dishes.

I stay close to her the entire day, cuddling beside her as I continue reading Harry Potter. I'm at the fourth book now, since we watched that one yesterday. So now I can read up till the sixth one, since we've watched those. It's good, but I must admit I'm getting the most pleasure out of watching Steve's frown every time he passes the living room and sees us. Emma's listening to music with closed eyes.

She's leaning against me, between my legs, her head resting on my chest. She smiles once in a while, so I know she's alright. She's tired, I know. She's worried for her father, though she won't admit it. And she misses him, understandably. There's not a lot I can do, I think. She says this helps. Cuddling, listening to music, being close; I'm not sure which and it doesn't really matter. I don't plan to stop either.

I bend my neck and kiss the top of her head, making her entangle her fingers with mine. It's nice, though it makes it a bit difficult to continue reading, I must admit. I finally close the book; I'm almost done anyway. And slide down further on the couch to rest my head on the arm rest, her head still resting on my chest. We lie like that for some time; entangled fingers and shared body warmth, before we doze off.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

In my dream, there's darkness. Darkness and one light. A light I follow to my father, except he's running away from me and I can't seem to follow him. Why can you never run in a dream? I'd like to know.

He's running and suddenly Loki's there. He's staring at me, reaching out towards me, but before we touch he's swirled away in a tornado of ravens. And suddenly the darkness isn't emptiness, it's ravens. Ravens squeaking and basking their wings. Ravens staring at me with their black beady eyes. I want to turn away, but I can't. They're all around me and I can't breathe.

Then I wake up, still in Loki's embrace. I close my eyes again, turning slightly against him, to better cuddle him.

* * *

(Loki's POV)

It's a miracle really, as far as I see it, that it's taken the dear captain this long to catch up to me. He catches me in the hallway outside of my room.

"Loki, can I have a word please?" he asks, so polite I must force myself not to roll my eyes. We both know it's not really a question. I nod anyway.

"I'm a bit concerned," he begins. I sigh, making him stop, but I wave for him to continue so he does, "I can tell Emma likes you a lot, but I'm concerned you may not understand that."

I frown at his words. "Are you insinuating that I cannot feel, Captain?" I ask, watching him wince slightly. I continue, "That I'm playing a game with her? Is that what you're _concerned_ of?"

"Of course not," he says. "I'm concerned that she likes you a lot more than you like her. I'm not saying you're playing her. Just that she deserves to get what she gives."

I roll my eyes. "She _is_ "getting what she gives" as you put it, Captain, I can assure you of that," I say, smirking slightly at the way he searches my expression.

He narrows his eyes. "If you _hurt_ her…" he starts, voice firm.

I laugh, "Now that's the Captain I know."

His anger, or annoyance probably, shows clearly now as he traps me against the wall by smashing his hands into the wall on either side of me. "This is not a game, Loki!" he says and I almost laugh again at the fact that he's doing exactly what I wanted him to do. "If you ever hurt her, be it physically, emotionally… sexually," he adds, slight embarrassment shown on his face, "you _will_ be answering to me, and you _will_ go back to where you came from and rot in a cell there."

I sigh, deciding to play nice, "Well, you're going to have to join the line then, Captain," mostly anyways, "because I'm sure there'll be one." I adopt a genuine look then, making sure my sincerity is shining through, "But on a serious note, I do not plan on hurting her in any way. I wouldn't dream of it." I smile shortly then. "You see, Steve," his eyes widen slightly, "I'm pretty sure I love her, and so I will do anything to protect her, even if that means protecting her from me."

He's staring at me, removing the hands that formed my temporary prison. "You love her," he states. It's not a question, but still I nod. "Then see to it that you keep your promise," he says, before turning around. My lips move upwards of their own accord, before I slip into my room.

* * *

(Emma's POV)

"Hey Bruce," I say, stepping inside the lab. Now that Loki's back on Asgard, I have to occupy my mind with someone else.

"Hello, Emma," he greets back.

"What are you working on?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I'm trying to develop one of Tony's ideas."

I hum in thought and sit down on one of the chairs in the room. "What's the idea about?" I finally ask.

"It's not really thought through yet," he says, "But it's supposed to be some sort of shield. Some way of protection for the earth against other "worlds" and races like the chitauri."

"How is that going to work?" I ask

"We don't know yet, but Tony really wants to make some kind of protection," he says.

I frown. "Isn't that what you're all here for, though? To protect."

Bruce half-smiles. "Sure. But we can't always be there. I guess he just wants to make sure the earth, and more importantly the people inhabiting it, stays safe."

I nod. "That makes sense, I guess. But how can you protect the whole planet? We can't just 'close off' the planet, so that other worlds can't reach us, because some other races are not enemies, like Thor and Loki."

"That's exactly my problem right now, Emma," Bruce says.

I laugh. "Okay then. I'll just leave you to it then. I wouldn't want to disturb."

Bruce smiles but shrugs. "You're not disturbing. I don't think I'm getting closer to figuring this out. It's Tony's idea anyways."

I hum in understanding.

"When is Loki returning anyway?" Bruce asks then.

"Tomorrow," I say, tilting my head. "Why?"

Bruce smiles teasingly. "Just wondering how long I'd have your attention."

I huff in pretend-offense, but then chuckle. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"What? You mean at giving attention to others when Loki is near?" he teases.

I frown slightly but nod. "Yeah."

He shakes his head. "It's not that bad, Emma. I'm just teasing." He smiles, "Besides, you're in love; you're allowed to be oblivious to anything else."

I blush slightly at his words. "I guess, but I don't think my dad would like me to act like that."

"Maybe not," he shrugs. "But I think you're allowed to. Young love needs to be spent together, eventually you'll find it easier to be apart."

"I'm that obvious?" I chuckle.

"A little," he says. "You both are." I raise an eyebrow at that. "It's nice."

I smile softly. "Thank you, Bruce, for saying that."

He chuckles. "No need, Emma."

* * *

(Loki's POV)

It's a bit better being back here this time. No one has said anything to me yet, though a lot of people have given me looks. I ignore them though to take a walk on the meadow where the horses enjoy their leisure time. The horses don't judge at least, though Sleipnir keeps sending me looks as he watches me walk across the grass area by a safe distance.

"Loki!" I turn by the loud exclamation of my name, completely unprepared to see Thor standing behind me with a soft look in his eyes.

"Thor," I acknowledge, before turning around again.

I can hear him move over the grass, hurrying towards me. I roll my eyes at his loud way of being.

"I wanted to ask you about Emma," Thor states when he's walking next to me.

I fix my eyes on a red poppy flower, wondering why it makes me think of Emma. "Then ask," I say when he says nothing, getting impatient.

"How is it going with the two of you?" Thor asks.

I sigh. "We're good," I offer.

Thor beams. "I'm glad. And Anthony is okay with you courting her?"

I shrug. "He's accepting. He trusts his daughter and she trusts me. He's not there for the moment either way."

"He is not with you in the tower?" Thor asks.

"No, he is ill. He's gone to his other home to get better. I feel he will come back soon."

Thor nods in the corner of my eye. We continue walking.

"I'm planning to ask if Emma could be allowed entrance here," I say, when Thor doesn't speak. I don't know why I'm sharing this with him, but I wanted to.

Thor stops and catches my eye. "You are serious?" he asks. I nod. He smiles. "So you are really happy, brother."

I stare into his eyes and finally nod. "I'm happy," I say.

Thor grins. "It's amazing how far you've come, brother."

I sigh and start walking again. "I know," I mumble, refusing to actually acknowledge the sentence.

* * *

"I wanted to ask you both something," I say, joining my parents in their outdoors salon after dinner. My mother usually retreats to this place to get some peace and quiet after the crowded loud dinner.

"Yes, Loki?" Odin asks.

I hesitate, but with a nod from my mother I go on. "The Man of Iron has…" I blink and start over, "You have heard of the Man of Iron, yes?"

They both nod, my mother adding, "He's the one with whom you're staying."

I sigh and nod. "Yes, that is correct." I pause, trying to think of a way to continue. "He has a daughter who is very interested and knows a lot of the mythology surrounding our home."

My mother sends me an inquiring look, like she knows something or sees something, so I deliberately look the other way. "She wants to see the place where Thor and I grew up, and I would like to take her with me the next time I come back."

"A Midgardian on Asgard?" Odin questions with a frown. "Never will a Midgardian step…"

"Of course you can take her with you," my mother interrupts Odin's beginning rage.

My eyes widen, standing before Odin can say anything. "Thank you, mother. I will bring her then." Then I turn around.

"How could you allow that?" Odin asks my mother when I walk out of the salon.

"You will understand…" is all I hear my mother say before I am out of the room on my way to Heimdall. Understand what, I don't know, but I guess I'll find out. Either way, I can finally show Emma where I grew up.

* * *

 **So, did you like it? Was it worth the long wait? Probably not... I'm sorry. I hope you'll comment. Thank you for everyone favouriting and following, and commenting of course, if any of you are still following this story. Thank you so much 3 I hope I can keep writing and present you with another chapter soon, but I won't promise anything. I'm sorry again.**


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